By The Light Of Polaris
by LadyOfSlytherin101
Summary: Long ago Puck fell in love with a human and gave her a crystal that held light from the North Star so he could find her again. Years passed and the necklace has been passed to Elaine. Owen was unbreakable and yet somehow Elaine has chipped away everything and worked her way in. Puck thinks he's found a second chance in Elaine but will she let him in when she loves another?
1. Chapter 1

_**Author Notes: New Gargoyles story! Yay! I don't own the Gargoyles but I own Sammy, Sarah and Elaine. I'm taking a bit of artistic license and using some more modern songs. I hope you enjoy!**_

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Prologue: It Begins

When the Gargoyles first woke up on the island of Manhattan, they weren't well known and lived in relative secrecy. A few knew of their existence. Most speculated but never believed there were actual gargoyles flying around and saving people. Most just wrote it off as people seeing things or someone dressed in a costume. So it never really made the news. Unless you watched the public cable. There was a show on public access that was devoted solely to the strange happenings that went on in the city. Urban Legends: Fact or Fiction was rather popular cable show when people tuned in. It was run by a few people: the host and main reporter Elaine Winters, her cameraman and sound tech, the twins Samuel and Sarah Caswell.

Elaine was fresh from a small town in Montana who came to the big city to study mythology and perhaps one day either work in a museum or become an archeologist. She had always been fascinated with legends and lore, especially since her family was originally from Scotland and her Gran had always had some exciting tale to tell at bedtime when she was young. She had quite the flair for acting and always made each episode exciting. She was rather small in stature but curved which she would often complain about jokingly with Sarah. Her bright green eyes and blonde hair gave her sort of a pixie look and Samuel was always calling her Tinkerbell. She wore black framed glasses and her hair up in a messy bun. She wore oversized flannel button up shirts over her baggy jeans and a tight white t-shirt and sneakers. She was rather clumsy at times but had a rather sassy attitude and wasn't one to give up easily.

Sarah was a native of New York and a bit of an opposite to Elaine. Sarah was tall and slender with pale skin, straight black hair and blue eyes. She was more into a gothic style of dress and wore a tattered black skirt, boots, a black corset and long sleeved silk blouses in dark shades of color. She was more quiet and reserved and usually kept her brother in line. She was in charge of tech and would edit any footage they got and she also doubled as the director.

Her brother Samuel or Sammy was the opposite with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a bright happy smile for anyone he met. He liked wearing brighter colors and was always more outgoing than his twin. He was the camerman of the group and always had some sort of witty remark whenever Elaine was reporting. It usually ended up with her laughing and Sarah would get cross and they'd have to start over again. The only time he didn't do it was when they were reporting live.

They all attended the same school and shared an apartment nearby. They didn't always report from the field, they mostly reported from home in their makeshift studio about local urban legends as well as some from across the country. Field reports were always slow and it wasn't until David Xanatos, the resident billionaire bought a castle from Scotland and had it placed atop the Eyrie building, a huge skyscraper, so the castle rose above the clouds did things pick up.

Elaine saw it as a chance to get fresh new material as she knew the legends of the castle. She just didn't know that they were true and just how much her life would change.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1: The Castle Above The Clouds

They day had been rather slow. Nothing unusual happened during the school hours and Elaine and her friends had gone back to their apartment with no fresh piece for their cable show Urban Legends: Fact Or Fiction. Elaine had checked out some books from the library in hopes she could find something for them to report on. They had already covered the basics such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. Perhaps they could delve into lesser known legends from different states. Elaine thought the Jersey Devil would be a nice topic.

Samuel or Sammy groaned as he collapsed dramatically onto the couch in their living room. "It's the city that never sleeps! You'd think something interesting would happen!"

His sister, Sarah, scoffed and swatted his feet off the couch. "Plenty of things happen Samuel. Just not stuff we need for our show. Crimes and such are left to the big news stations. At least ours is more entertaining. At least they would be if you kept quiet during filming."

Elaine rolled her eyes and tuned the twins out as they started to bicker. She was quite used to it by now. She had to admit that Sammy did have a point. It was New York. It was much more exciting than the small town she grew up in Montana. True she missed the open spaces and the stars in the sky but she couldn't pass up the chance to get out of town. She missed her family but she'd see them at Christmas in a few months. She'd thought something interesting would happen. Alligators in the sewer had always been an urban legend but it wasn't one any of them were keen to report on.

She picked up the newspaper where it lay not far from her spot on the floor. Maybe there was something interesting in here. And indeed there was for on the front page was David Xanatos, billionaire owner of Xanatos Enterprises. Whenever he made front page news something big had happened that involved him. She read through the article with avid interest. Apparently Xanatos had bought Castle Wyvern and had it shipped brick by brick until it was completely rebuilt on top of his skyscraper, making it rise above the clouds.

The name rang a bell and Elaine thought about where she could have heard it. Then it clicked. She heard about the castle from her grandmother, who had heard it from her mother, who heard it from hers and so on. From Elaine knew her family was originally from Scotland and Castle Wyvern feature quite often in the stories her grandmother would tell her as a child. There was a legend surrounding the castle that the winged guardians of the castle, the Gargoyles, protected the castle from invading Vikings. But the castle's Captain of the guard betrayed everyone and sided with the Vikings leading to the destruction of the gargoyles. She remembered there had been a princess and a mage called Magus who thought the princess was killed and cast a spell on the remaining gargoyles and they would stay in stone sleep until….

Her eyes widened in shock. Of course! The Gargoyles would remain in stone sleep until the castle rose above the clouds! And that's just what Xanatos did! She looked out the window and saw it was nearly sunset. They had to move fast!

"Guys! I've got our next scoop!" She exclaimed in excitement as she jumped up from her spot on the floor.

The twins looked at her as she threw the newspaper down on the coffee table and pointed at the headlines.

"I've heard stories of this castle. Legend says that if the castle rises above the clouds then the Gargoyles will wake up. And guess what? This castle is on top the Eyrie building as we speak and it's almost sunset." Elaine explained, thankful she still remembered the story

Sarah smiled. "Good thinking Elaine!"

Sammy clapped his hands together. "Well gang! Looks like we got a mystery on our hands!"

The girls groaned and threw pillows at him, not amused at his joke.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: Claw Marks In Stone

The small group managed to make their way to the Eyrie building just before the sun set and set up their camera. Sarah gave her the signal and Elaine started reporting.

"Hello and welcome to another episode of Urban Legends: Fact or Fiction. I'm your host Elaine Winters. You see behind me the Eyrie building owned by David Xanatos, billionaire and owner of Xanatos Enterprises. While some consider him charming, some consider him quite eccentric. His latest acquisition is none other than Castle Wyvern from Scotland. He had the castle transported brick by brick and rebuilt on top of his skyscraper. Some might shake their head and brush it off as another one of his eccentric ideas, I have reason to believe that there is another reason for it. Legend has it that there are Gargoyles who guarded the castle against Vikings a thousand years ago before what was left of their clan was put into a stone sleep that they would only awaken from when the castle rises above the clouds. They have slept for a thousand years and people were too afraid to venture near as they believed the castle was haunted. And now the castle has risen above the clouds, just like the prophecy foretold. Are the legends of the Gargoyles true? Will they wake up from their forced stone sleep? It's almost sunset which means they could be waking up soon. Gargoyles are stone by day warriors by night who wake up when the sun sets and turn to stone by the light of dawn. We only have a few minutes until sundown so please bear with us as we wait."

Elaine looked down at her watch and watched as the seconds towards sunset ticked away. She wasn't sure what she was going to expect when the sun sank below the horizon but she had a feeling in her bones that something was going to happen. The very air seemed to be sizzling with some undercurrent and it made her hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

She turned back at the camera and looked at Sarah and Sammy. "Can you guys feel that? It feels like the very air is alive with something."

The twins nodded. Sarah was a bit more in tune with that sort of thing and she could feel the air vibrating with something. Sammy could feel something was going on.

"It's a powerful thing!" He said.

Sarah and Elaine were too focused on the feelings they were getting to tell him off.

The sun dipped below the horizon, it's last rays painting the sky and turning the the windows of the tallest building to fire. Elaine shivered as the very last light vanished, the feeling even stronger than before. "The sun has now set viewers. Are the legends true or just fiction?"

"Look!" Sammy said as he pointed upwards at the sky. Where partly cloudy skies once were, a seething mass of clouds rumbled and flashed in a storm. Rain began pelting the streets below as some people ran for cover while others simply opened umbrellas.

"Sammy are you getting this? It was just nice a few seconds ago! Viewers it seems as soon as the sun set a storm has come out of nowhere! Could this be connected to the castle?" Elaine shouted as the wind howled.

Rocks from above fell from above and fell to the concrete below. People panicked and ran for it as huge pieces began falling. The police were called and they set up a perimeter to keep people back.

Elaine crept closer and spotted a piece of stone that had claw marks gouged into it. "What could be strong enough to make marks in stone?" Elaine mused to herself as she looked upwards once more as more light flashed and it wasn't lighting.

Sammy filmed the stone and then directed his camera upwards. That didn't look like lightning.

"Viewers it seems something is going on that we can't see. But as you can see behind me a piece of stone fell from above and it appears to have claw marks gouged in. Could this be the work of gargoyles? Are the legends true? Until we gather further evidence all I can say is the legends of the Gargoyles is inconclusive at this time. Until next time. I'm Elaine Winters and this has been Urban Legends: Fact Or Fiction. Goodnight."

Sammy turned off the camera and wiped the lens clean.

"Let's go home before any more rocks fall." Sarah said as she cast a wary glance upwards once more.

Elaine agreed and they went home and edited their footage before airing it. Little did they know that someone other than one of the normal viewers caught their footage and was not pleased at all.

David Xanatos watched with narrowed eyes as the young reporter wrapped up her show and paused the screen.

"I'm not happy Owen. Find out anything and everything you can about Miss Winters."

The blonde majordomo nodded and left the room to find out what he could.

Xanatos leaned back in his chair deep in thought. Just who was this girl and how did she know so much about the castle? He figured he wouldn't have long to wait as Owen always got the job done. He hoped that she'd be smart and back off. He'd hate for something bad to happen to such a pretty little thing.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3: Sellouts and Job Offer

Some time after the incident at Xanatos Enterprises, Cyberbiotics Tower was attacked as well as the air fortress. Luckily no one was hurt but people said they had been attacked by Gargoyles. David Xanatos had been arrested for stealing from Cyberbiotics. Smelling a scoop, Elaine set out to gather information. Sarah and Sammy did not go with her as they said they had somewhere else to be. They seemed rather nervous and on edge. Elaine brushed it off and grabbed her smaller camera. She got lucky and saw Preston Vogel outside the building.

"Excuse me sir? Can you shed any light over what happened the other night? Witnesses are saying they were attacked by Gargoyles. Is this true?" She asked hoping to get some word that would help her clarify the existence of Gargoyles.

Preston turned and eyed up the girl in front of him. She was different than other reporters and obviously amateur.

"No comment." He told her curtly and turned to continue on his way into the building. He half expected her to pester him but to his surprise he heard her utter a soft thank you before she began walking away.

He turned and watched her leave. She really was different. Perhaps he'd report this to Mr. Renard and see what he thought.

Elaine went home and changed into a black skirt, a white short sleeved button up, black flats and put her hair in a bun. She had to go to work at her job as a barista at the college coffee house. It helped pay for extra costs from filming and have a little extra. She didn't particularly enjoy her job as there was a group of boys who always came to the shop to flirt. But she got to be around the smell of coffee and different blends of tea. She got her free cup of tea on her breaks so it wasn't all bad. It was a cozy place really and good for studying.

She was the last one there that night, wiping up the tables and counters. She had had a good day and made a lot in tips, possibly enough to buy that new book she had her eyes on. She was wiping up the counter her back to the door when she heard the bell above the door chime as someone came in.

Everyone on campus knew the hours so what was someone doing here? "We're closed. You'll have to come back tomorrow." She kept cleaning

The person didn't leave. Elaine again told them they were closed and got no answer. She grew frustrated and turned around. "Look! Are you deaf? I said we're closed!"

Instead of the college student she had been expecting, it was a man. And just not any man but someone she knew meant trouble. It was Owen Burnett. She had heard a few girls in her class giggling about him saying he was handsome and tall. She had to admit they were right. She was a woman after all and not dead so she couldn't help but notice an attractive male. And Owen Burnett was a _very attractive_ male.

Attractive or not, she knew if he was here it meant trouble for her and quite honestly all she wanted to do was go home, have a nice soak in the tub and go to sleep. And this man was keeping her from it.

"Miss Winters I presume?" Burnett asked, his voice monotone.

Elaine suppressed a shiver at the sound of his voice. It was deep and rich and merciful heavens was that an accent? _Snap out of it girly. You aren't here to flirt and I doubt he's here to do the same. Remember the last time you had a guy. That did not end well. Screw the good looks. He works for Xanatos remember? Oh bollocks. _

Elaine cocked her hip and placed a hand on it as she leaned against the counter, her face calm and collected with just a touch of attitude. "Depends on why you're asking." Sure that was a tad snarky but she was tired and wanted to go home.

If Burnett picked up on her snarky attitude, he made no mention of it and only raised his eyebrow.

_Bloody hell he even makes the raised eyebrow look sexy. _

"I'm here on behalf of my employer David Xanatos who is unable to speak with you personally."

"Because he got himself arrested. I watch the news. If I haven't responded to your letters it means I'm not interested in talking to you. Now what do you want? And make it quick. I've had a long day."

Burnett reached inside his suit jacket and Elaine tensed, wishing she had her pepper spray in her hand but it was behind the counter out of reach.

But Burnett simply pulled out an envelope and tossed it onto the counter beside Elaine.

Elaine eyed him before she grabbed the envelope and opened it. "What is it?"

"My employer believes this should be more than a substantial amount for compensation. In return you're to keep away from the Eyrie building and stop nosing around about the Gargoyles."

Elaine pulled out a check and her eyes widened in shock. The amount was huge! It was more than she made at work and probably more than she'd ever make working here. With it she'd easily be able to buy better equipment and move into a better apartment. But...she couldn't take it. She had morals and people deserved to know the truth even if they didn't believe.

She tossed the envelope back. "Not interested. Besides, if there wasn't anything there Xanatos wouldn't have gone to such lengths to throw me off which means there is something there. And I'm not going to stop till I find out the truth. Goodnight Mr. Burnett."

He turned and left without another word. Elaine sighed in relief and finished her cleaning before locking up and heading back to the apartments.

Burnett watched her go from his seat in the company car. She was certainly an interesting character.

_*You've got that right. Anyone would have taken that check if given the chance and yet she didn't. She's smart too. Unlike her friends, she was quite quick to see through it. David will be quite interested in hearing about this.* _

"Indeed he will." Owen mused to himself.

If anyone else had been in the car, they would have thought Owen was crazy for talking to himself. But the truth was he was talking to Puck. Puck had created Owen after figuring out that Queen Titania had taken a human form. Intrigued Puck created his own form, playing a role he'd never played before; that of the straight man and modeled Owen closely after Preston Vogel.

He believed his Trickster counterpart was quite right. His employer would be most intrigued in hearing about Miss Winter's reaction to the offer.

Elaine sighed as she finally reached her apartment and pulled out her key only to find the door already unlocked. Usually she was the first one home as Sarah and Sammy worked further from the apartment.

Inside she found the siblings sitting on the couch looking apprehensive about something.

"Hey guys what's up? You're here early. What do you say we order pizza and relax with a nice movie?" Elaine asked as she slipped off her shoes and put her bag up.

Sarah exchanged glances with Sammy before she approached Elaine. "Elaine there's something we need to tell you."

Elaine sat down and Sammy and Sarah proceeded to tell her that they too had been approached by Burnett and made them the same offer and they had accepted.

Elaine was gobsmacked. She couldn't believe her friends would do something like that. "So you're saying you sold out everything we worked for?"

Sammy tried to calm her down. "We need the money and we can buy better equipment to replace it."

Her eyes narrowed. "Where's my equipment?"

Sarah pinned her brother with a glare. "See when we accepted….He had some people come in and they confiscated the equipment."

"They confiscated my equipment?! How could you let them do that?! My parents gave me that equipment! You had no right! You know what get out!"

Sammy gaped at her in shock."What do you mean get out?"

"Exactly as I said! I'm kicking you out!"

Sarah's face contorted with anger. "You can't kick us out!"

Elaine's face matched in fury. "Oh yes I can! The apartment is under my name so I pay the rent so get your things and get out! You had no right to sell us out like that and let him take MY equipment! I have no room for sellouts! So get out! Now!"

Sammy pulled his sister away and they started packing their things. Elaine grabbed her bag and disappeared into her room. She dug around for her phone and pulled out a card. It had the logo for Xanatos Enterprises on it with Owen Burnett's name and his number. She scoffed and tossed it onto her desk.

She heard the front door close and wandered out to see that both Sammy and Sarah were gone. They didn't have much to pack as Elaine owned all the appliances and furniture as well as the decorations.

Elaine had hung Chinese lanterns from the ceiling and most of her furniture was whicker. She had lots of plants on any surface she could place them. A series of bookcases lined the free walls and were mostly filled with mythology and fantasy books though one shelf was solely devoted to the work of the Bard. One wall was used as a makeshift studio.

She sighed as she examined her now roommate free apartment. It was a fairly large apartment with a full bath and 3 bedrooms and a full kitchen. Her parents had gotten it for her when she had gotten her scholarship. It felt empty and much bigger now that she was alone.

A week passed and she was working more shifts to cover the rent but she was starting to struggle. Yet she didn't regret kicking her ex friends out.

"Elaine! You're needed at table 10!" Her manager shouted at her from his spot at the bar.

While Elaine loved her job, she did hate two aspects of it. One was her manager Henry. While he was good man and fair, he was infatuated with the other waitress who barely did anything. Elaine suspected that the brunette Danielle only got the job because she was sleeping with Henry.

"But I'm already covering the counter!" Elaine protested. She knew that if she left the counter to tend the tables then Danielle would try to sneak tips from the jar. It was a rule that whoever worked the counter got the tips from the tip jar while the other got the tips from working the tables. Elaine was often tipped generously at both the counter and the tables because unlike Danielle she cared about the customer's satisfaction and treating them politely. Danielle hated the fact that she got less in tips and would often try to steal Elaine's.

"Get to it country girl." Danielle snapped as she moved to head for the counter.

Elaine glanced at her watch and saw that her shift was over. She didn't complain because she needed the extra money. She grabbed what was in the tip jar and stuffed it in her apron pocket. She didn't miss the glare Danielle sent her when she did that.

She grabbed her notepad and moved over to table 10. "So what can I get for you?" She asked without looking up, her pencil poised to jot down the order.

"A coffee please and I'd like you to join me." An all too familiar voice spoke.

She sighed as she looked up and locked gazes with Burnett. "What are you doing here? This is basically a college coffee house. And I'm still working."

Burnett just looked at her. "And it is still a public establishment and I have yet to be thrown out. And you're off the clock if I'm correct."

Elaine stared at him. "Ok that's creepy that you know my hours and such. Are you stalking me?"

"No I'm just incredibly thorough. About that coffee? You look like you could use a break." He said looking up at her.

And he meant it. The girl in front of him looked exhausted with dark circles under her eyes cleverly hidden by concealer but his trained eyes could still see faint shadows. Her stance was no longer the confident gait he had seen but slumped like one had too much on their shoulders. He could see her thinking about his offer and decided to help her along.

"The reason I'm here will most certainly be worth your while." He said, his voice laced with promise.

Elaine sighed and went to fetch him his coffee and grabbing a cup of a tea before she clocked herself out. She came back and sat down across from him; her eyes were lit with cautious curiosity.

"I am here because I have a most intriguing offer from my employer." He said getting right to the point.

Elaine held up a hand. "Look you already made your offer and I refused. Besides since my so called friends sold me out, your boss' minions came and took all my equipment. I had to cancel the show. Your employer got what he wanted."

"That was the first offer. I come with another offer: he wants to offer you a job."

Elaine stared at him in disbelief. "A job? What sort of job?"

Owen mentally smirked knowing he had her hooked. All he had to do was reel her in. Xanatos had expressed that it was important that Owen get the girl to accept.

"He's been looking for someone to...shall we say enlighten him about any legends of artifacts he acquires. And he is aware that you study mythology and are very well versed in all sorts of legends and myths."

"Why hire me? I'm still in college. Wouldn't he want someone with a decree?" She was suspicious; she knew that there were more highly qualified people than her for the job.

Owen noted her suspicion and felt a small feeling of approval. It showed she had a sense of common sense about her.

"He wants someone who has no ulterior motives and you are already aware of the Gargoyles."

"So say I do accept this job; what would it entail?"

"Essentially any time a new artifact comes in, you are to evaluate it, study it and let us know of any...abilities it might hold. When you are not doing so you'll be assisting me with paperwork; a secretary job of sorts. You'd still be paid and the bigger the project the bigger the payout." Owen explained.

Elaine nodded weighing her options. She really did need the job and it'd be better than working here. Though one part of her revolted at the idea of working for the man who had her equipment taken, the more practical side began weighing the pros and cons and pros far outnumbered the cons.

She looked at Burnett. "Alright. I'll accept. How about we meet up tomorrow at my apartment to discuss the basics, benefits and complete details of my new job. Say...10?"

Owen nodded and she wrote down her address before handing it to him.

She stood up. "See you tomorrow. Your coffee's on me."

She went back to the counter and threw her apron down, paid for the drinks before she dumped the rest of her now cold tea on the other serving girl who shrieked obscenities as Elaine walked calmly away.

Owen was surprised to say the least but couldn't admire her spunk.

_*Whoa. That took a lot of guts to do. I have to admit that girl had it coming. It should be interesting having her around.* _

Owen silently agreed. He could already tell things were going to be a whole lot different with Elaine around. Once he was sure she was gone, he got up and went to his car. He drove to the prison and after waiting a few minutes he was allowed into the visiting area and sat down. He picked up the phone just as his employer walked in on the other side.

"Owen. I trust that your job was successful?" David Xanatos asked smirking slightly.

"Yes Mr. Xanatos. She invited me to her apartment to further discuss details."

"Good work Owen. Be sure to alert our nocturnal...guests about her arrival. If all goes according to my calculations, Goliath and the others will feel the urge to protect one so young and defenseless as her. Basic protective instinct. It should prove most beneficial to us later on."

Owen nodded. "But she has spunk sir. She dumped her tea on another waitress. As far as I could see she deserved it."

Xanatos chuckled. "Well now. It seems we have a little spitfire on our hands. Owen tomorrow go a little before appointed time and take our trusted movers with you. I want her moved into the castle as soon as possible. It won't be safe for her to be on her own once she's under our care. Have her moved into the spare room in your wing. She should be comfortable enough in there. Let the Gargoyles come to her. They'll be suspicious if you take her to them. Just let them know she's coming tomorrow and Goliath will do the rest. Make yourself absent but make sure to record what goes on."

"Understood sir."

"Well you best get ready and have that room aired out as well as her office."

"Yes sir. Goodbye sir."

Xanatos watched as Owen stood up and left. Not long after the guard came and escorted him back to his cell. Xanatos sat down on his bunk and smirked. Things were going to be most interesting with Miss Winters in the castle...most interesting indeed.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 4: Moving Day_

Owen waited patiently as the sun set below the horizon. He made sure to stand far enough back to avoid being hit by any wings or stray bits of rock as the Gargoyles woke up.

Goliath growled softly when he saw Owen waiting. He didn't like the man as it seemed to him there was just something off about him and it set Goliath on edge.

"Good evening Goliath. I came to inform you and your clan that tomorrow the castle will have a new resident coming."

"And why is this of any interest to myself or my clan?" Goliath grumbled.

"Because it is a young woman by the name of Elaine Winters." Owen replied knowing that would get their interest.

"Wait, I've heard of her! She's that girl who used to do that Urban Legends show. She seemed to know an awful lot about us and the curse." Brooklyn said as the name struck him.

"Correct. She is going to be working here as Mr. Xanatos' relic expert. She will also be residing in my wing. Mr. Xanatos thought it prudent to tell you before she arrives tomorrow. And with that I bid you good evening." Owen said before he turned on his heel and left them to discuss this new information.

"I have seen the lass on the television and she's barely more than a child. What do you want to do Goliath?" Hudson asked as he looked to Goliath.

Goliath remained silent as he thought long and hard. He didn't understand why Xanatos would hire someone so young to work for him but it made him very uneasy that such a young girl was going to be working there. He didn't trust Xanatos fully and feared for the girl's safety.

"When she comes tomorrow, we will speak with her to see if she can be trusted. I am uneasy that Xanatos is bringing a young girl to the castle, especially if she has no means of defense. I will go and speak with Elisa and find out what she knows about this Elaine Winters. The rest of you stay here and guard the castle." Goliath said before he jumped from his perch and glided off into the night.

Hudson went off with Bronx to watch TV in one of the lower rooms leaving the younger Gargoyles to their own devices.

"What do you guys think?" Brooklyn asked his rookery brothers.

"I've heard a lot about her and she seems really knowledgeable in things dealing with myth and legends. I mean she knew about us and from what Elisa said not a lot of people did know about the spell the Magus put on us."

"Do you think she's dangerous?" Brooklyn wondered.

"How can a little thing like that be dangerous? She seems so nice. I wonder if she can teach us anything about this time's food?" Broadway thought out loud, his mind on food.

"Whoa, slow down big guy! Don't get so far ahead. We have to wait for Goliath's opinion. If anyone can find out about this Elaine, it's Elisa." Brooklyn said.

"Maybe... but I'm sure maybe Owen might have some information!" Lexington explained.

"But Goliath said to stay here and watch the castle, remember?" Brooklyn said.

"Yeah but Owen's office is still in the castle. So, we wouldn't really be disobeying Goliath's orders. We'd be helping him find out more." Lexington countered.

Brooklyn and Broadway thought about it before agreeing.

Owen knew full well the trio would come looking for information and conveniently left a file he had put together on Elaine out on his desk while he went and aired out her office and her new room. He also made sure to order a new bed for her as well as a desk for her personal use and a dresser. He decided to leave the gathering of her more personal items to her.

The next morning, he went to the address he was given at about 7 in the morning and unlocked the door with the key the landlord had given him and walked in, the movers close behind. He studied the main room with vague interest and wandered over to the bookshelves. He had to admit that he was rather impressed by her collection of history books, books on lores and legends and works of the Bard.

The movers he had brought with him began to pack things up and take them away. He wandered down the hall in search of Elaine, keeping in mind that it was possible she was still asleep. But to his surprise, she wasn't in her room.

A strangled shriek met his ears and he turned to see Elaine standing behind him, clad in nothing but a towel, her hair hanging down her back in damp waves. Her face was flushed as she stared at him wide eyed.

_*Meow! She's got great legs!* _Puck whispered in Owen's mind as he openly ogled the barely covered figure before him.

_*Puck, stop that. She is not there for you to ogle.* _

Owen cleared his throat and averted his eyes out of respect and modesty. "Forgive the intrusion Miss Winters, but Mr. Xanatos expressed great concern about you and insisted that you be moved into the castle at once for your safety."

"Safety?" He heard her ask.

He nodded. "Yes, Mr. Xanatos is a very powerful man, so naturally he'd have enemies who are always searching for ways to get at him. And when word comes out that you are working for him, there is no doubt you may become a target."

"Lovely." She said calmly, though Owen could hear the heavy sarcasm. "Now, if you don't mind waiting in the kitchen, I'd like to get dressed and pack some more personal and valuable things up before letting the movers in my room."

Owen nodded and made his way to the kitchen, keeping his eyes averted from her. He needed to get her into the Eyrie building as soon as possible so he took the liberty of packing up her kitchen and throwing out anything that was close to an expiration date or would melt in the trip. He noted she seemed to prefer fruits and vegetables over meat and junk food. That gave him another insight into her life, she ate healthy. Course opening the freezer was a different matter as it was packed with frozen meat. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at how much was in there, wondering how a little thing like Elaine could eat so much.

"It's from my family." She spoke from behind him. She stood there dressed in cut off overalls, hiking boots, an oversized red plaid flannel shirt tied around her waist and a white t-shirt, hair in a braid. "My father and my brothers hunt and usually send some of it to me. Coffee?"

Owen nodded, not looking ashamed at being caught nosing through her things.

Elaine quietly began moving around the kitchen making coffee before toasting a couple bagels before setting it all on the table and sat down, gesturing for him to do the same.

He obliged and sat down, pulling out the needed paperwork for her to review and sign. "This is a list of what your job entails and benefits in more detail. Medical and dental are included. You do get time off, holiday pay and leave and sick days though I'd like you to let me know in advance if you have unscheduled things come up. As you know, your job is to alert Mr. Xanatos of legends and such of anything he collects. Often times you will be asked to research a certain item about it's history and any hidden powers an object might have before Mr. Xanatos acquires it. When you are not doing such, you will work as a secretary of sorts for me. That means you will run errands, fetch and copy files and on occasion field phone calls. Most often what you will be doing is research."

Elaine nodded in understanding, liking what her job entailed so far. "Will I fetch you coffee, too?" She teased lightly.

Owen allowed a small smirk to show, "Normally, I would say yes, but since you make excellent coffee, I'd prefer you to make it."

Elaine smiled and nodded, looking over the list in her hands. "I can deal with that and I find everything else agreeable."

"You won't need your appliances such as your microwave and such. The wing you are staying in is fully equipped with a kitchen and the castle kitchen is at your disposal, so long as you clean up after. There is also a laundry room in the castle as well for private use."

Elaine nodded. She could donate her kitchen appliances that she brought with her to some other people in the complex. She knew of some other students who were looking for a washer and dryer as well as a microwave.

Movers came in and started packing up her kitchen where Owen left off and Elaine had to admit she was impressed by how professionally they were treating her things, even if the movers themselves didn't look professional.

Owen silently handed her the last document that would have her salary. Her eyes went wide as she saw the amount and she looked at Owen unsure. "Did you miss a decimal someplace? I mean this is just a lot for my regular salary."

Owen shook his head. "That is the amount Mr. Xanatos specified and will not hear of any refusals."

Elaine sighed before she began reading through documents, only raising an eyebrow at the secrecy clause but signed it and everything else as well. Once everything was signed, she handed the papers back to Owen, who put them away in his briefcase.

"Shall we go?" He asked as he stood.

Elaine blinked at him in surprise. "Go?"

"To the Eyrie building of course. It will take time to show you around the building so you do not get lost and for you to settle in. As well as pick up any supplies you will need. Do not worry about your things here. If you have something you wish to donate, leave a note of it and the movers will take care of it."

Elaine nodded and scribbled out a note of what was to be donated and where it was to be taken to before she grabbed her shoulder bag and a couple boxes of valuables and met Owen at the door since he had cleaned up in the kitchen.

He escorted her out to his car and opened the door for her. Elaine smiled at him, before she climbed in. Owen shut the door before climbing in on his side and started the car. The two didn't really speak as Owen drove to the Eyrie building. Elaine was grateful when they arrived because the silence was rather awkward.

Owen lead her inside and went to the elevators. He pulled out a key card and slid it into a slot at the bottom of the elevator button pad. Catching Elaine's curious look, he explained. "This is a special key card that allows access to the castle. You will go through a trial period to see if you are trustworthy enough and at the end of it, you will be given your own card key. It is crucial that you keep it on you at all times and never let anyone know you have it, because if it is stolen or lost then anyone could get in."

Elaine nodded in understanding, not objecting to the fact that she'd have to go through a trial period.

The elevator soon reached the top and Elaine stepped out into the main room of the castle in awe. She jumped slightly when Owen cleared his throat and scurried to his side, much like a child who had been staring at a toy in the store for too long and was taking up time. She grinned up at him sheepishly and only got a raised eyebrow in response.

"There will be plenty of time for you to explore later. Now if you'll follow me, I'll show you to your office. Mr. Xanatos keeps his office as well as my own in the castle and yours will be here as well."

Elaine nodded in understanding and followed behind him. She was impressed with the size of her office and she had a feeling she'd need the space in the days to come, depending on what Xanatos sent her to study.

Owen then showed her his wing and where her room was. She was given free reign of the kitchen and the bookshelves in the living area. He told her that his room was out of bounds and that her room was fully furnished. He told her to make a list of what sort of food she wanted and he'd fetch it.

The movers came then and placed all her belongings in her room. Owen then left her to unpack. While she was doing that, Owen went to the prison to inform Mr. Xanatos that Elaine was safely in the castle.

Xanatos was pleased to see Owen. "Owen. Right on time. How is Miss Winters settling in to the castle? No doubt she found the castle quite riveting considering what she studies."

"She very well might be exploring right now instead of unpacking as we speak, sir," Owen replied.

Xanatos chuckled. "I wouldn't be surprised. So, what is your overall opinion of her? Think we can trust her?"

"She's seems honest enough," Owen muttered, "but I don't see her always obeying every order that you give her sir."

Xanatos laughed. "It seems that we have our work cut out for us Owen. Things will be very interesting indeed with her around. I want you record her interaction with the Gargoyles tonight. It's vital that she is taken into their protection. We will have eyes on the inside should they choose to take her under their wings so to speak. I doubt very much Detective Maza would be as willing to speak about the Gargoyles with me."

"As you wish sir," Owen conceded.

Their time was up and Xanatos was led back to his cell.

Elaine wasn't exploring the castle like Owen had thought, but she was dutifully unpacking her things. She got done fairly quickly and decided to nap since Owen came for her at such an awful hour and she had been up late the night before with a case of insomnia due to strange dreams again. The dreams had started soon after she had met Owen and she had yet to figure out what they meant. All she could figure out was that she was in ancient Scotland and there was another person in the dream with hair like moonlight. But she could never see their face and she would wake up, unable to sleep.

So by the time Owen got back, Elaine was out cold on the bed, the floor littered with boxes. She didn't even stir when Owen knocked on her door.

He poked his head in cautiously to find her asleep. He looked around her room to see if he could find a place to hide a camera to record any possible interactions with the gargoyles. He snuck in quietly as he hid the camera in the most optimal place before turning back to her.

She hadn't moved at all and slept peacefully on. There was a glimmer around her neck that turned out to be a silver chain but whatever was on the end of it was hidden underneath her shirt. But Owen found his curiosity sparked as was Puck's.

_*What do you think is on the chain?*_ Puck's voice whispered in his head.

_*That is none of our concern... for now.*_ Owen replied.

He looked at her before he began tucking her in.

She shifted slightly but only to cuddle into her pillows, a content smile on her face.

Satisfied, he left her room.

Elaine didn't wake up until sundown. She sat up and stretched before looking down in surprise. She didn't recall being tucked in and wondered if Owen was the one to do it. She shrugged before getting out of bed and going into the bathroom to freshen up before slipping into a tank top and her red plaid flannel pajama pants, braiding her hair as she went back to her room. She began looking for a book, unaware of the shadow that hovered outside her window. She didn't hear the window click open or the shadow walk into her room. She glanced up at the mirror she had on the wall and startled when she saw something creeping towards her. She opened her mouth to scream, but it was quickly stifled by a clawed hand over her mouth, another holding her arm. She let out a muffled squeal, her eyes widening as she caught a good look at the reflection in the mirror. A red skinned Gargoyle with a beaked face, horns and long white hair stood behind her.

"Hey, it's alright," he said, "I'm not going to hurt you. Now, I'm going to take my hand away. Do you promise not to scream?"

She nodded, her eyes still wide. She couldn't believe she was seeing an actual Gargoyle.

He slowly removed his hand from her mouth. "The name's Brooklyn. I know you from the TV."

She turned and looked at him. "You're a Gargoyle! I knew it! I knew you were real! No wonder Xanatos tried paying me off! Wait, you watched my show?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" he asked.

"You mean you actually watch TV? Oh my this is incredible! I can't believe I'm talking to a real live Gargoyle! I knew the legends were true! Oh, Nana would be so happy to know her stories were true! And you have no idea what I'm talking about. My family is from Scotland, originally Wyvern Hill. The way Nana says it, our early ancestors were there that night your clan was cursed. Wait, are there more of you or were you the only one to survive? How do you fly? How fast can you fly? What do you eat? How are you taking to waking up in modern times?" Elaine chattered excitedly as she examined Brooklyn's wings and claws.

"Whoa, whoa, one question at a time," Brooklyn chuckled.

Elaine clapped her hands over her mouth and let out a small squeak as her cheeks turned as red as his skin. "I'm sorry! I'm just really excited about this! I never imagined I'd be meeting a real Gargoyle!" She squealed softly. "Ok what I really want to know is if you were the only one to survive that night."

"Of course I'm not the only one," he replied.

"Really?" She asked, her eyes wide in excitement. "Can I meet them?"

He grinned and turned his back to her. "Climb aboard."

She stared at him blankly. "You want me to climb on your back? And... go out the window?" She thought for a moment and decided to be daring. She climbed onto his back, minding his wings and wrappded her arms around his neck and shoulders. "I must be out of my mind." She muttered as Brooklyn walked over to her balcony. The night air was cool as a breeze blew, making their hair sway.

"Don't be afraid," he stated, as he climbed up onto the balcony railing.

"I'm not afraid." She retorted.

Brooklyn leaped to the side, his claws digging into the stone of the castle.

Elaine paled as her grip tightened a bit. "Now I'm afraid." She kept her eyes shut tight as Brooklyn started clawing his way up. "Couldn't we have used the stairs?"

"It would have taken too long. This way is much faster. Just don't look down."

"You know that's the worst thing to say to someone because then they want to look down!"

"Why do you think that is?"

"Hell if I know, but I'm not looking down!" A frightened squeak was his response as he felt her bury her face in his shoulder.

He climbed as he replied, "You know, Hudson would say that it has something to do with that bit of defiance that every soul has to being told what to do."

"I'm going to assume Hudson is another Gargoyle and he's quite right. I like being defiant, but this is not one of those times!" Elaine kept her eyes firmly shut, even when she felt him tilt his angle like he was climbing over something and he stood up right, the sound of his claws digging into stone silent. "Is it over?"

"Yeah, you're good," he stated.

She sighed in relief as her arms and legs turned to jelly and and she slid off of Brooklyn's back and landed on her bum in a rather ungraceful manner. "Ouch!" She sighed as she stood up, rubbing her backside. "I'll take the stairs next time and avoid the terrifying ascent." She peered over the battlements and felt her face pale when she saw just how high up they were. "That's a long way to fall..." her voice was barely more than a whisper as she looked. "Great. I looked down."

Brooklyn chuckled, "I told you not to."

She tried to laugh but it came out rather strangled as she slid to the ground and placed her head between her knees. "Ugh... Never again..."

Brooklyn moved aside as Goliath stepped up to her. "Just breathe, it'll pass."

She did as she was told and it soon passed. She looked up and her eyes widened. "You're a lot bigger than I thought you would be."

He looked at her confused at first, grinning shortly after. "I hope that that's not a bad thing."

She blushed and shook her head. "No! No, I'm sorry, my brain is just not working right." She stood up and gained her bearings before looking up at the tall, lavender grey Gargoyle before her. "I'm Elaine Winters. It's nice to meet you." She held out her hand to him.

"I am afraid that we have you at a disadvantage, Miss Winters," Goliath replied, taking her hand. "We know who you are while you only know Brooklyn. I am Goliath."

She smiled brightly. "It's nice to meet you Goliath, and I think I can guess the others."

She looked at the other Gargoyles pondering their names. She pointed at the teal Gargoyle. "Broadway." She pointed at the small green one, "Lexington." And then she looked at the final Gargoyle who was older and blind in one eye with brown skin. "And Hudson. Am I correct?"

"How do you know our names?" Goliath asked, gesturing to his fellow gargoyles.

She scuffed her foot. "Well he's named Brooklyn so I figured it'd be along those lines, plus he mentioned Hudson. So I just guessed from There. Hudson looked like the wisest, Broadway seemed to fit him," She pointed at Broadway before pointing at Lexington. "And Lexington just popped into my head cause I doubt he would have been called Madison."

Lexington blushed, "I'm glad about that now that I think about it."

She laughed despite herself. "I personally think Madison is quite pretty but Lexington suits you so much more! So... I heard you watched my show?"

Goliath glanced at Brooklyn, "Those three are the ones who watch your show."

She looked at the three in question. "I'm sure you have questions on why I know so much about the castle."

Goliath nodded.

She thought. "I suppose I should start at the beginning. You see, a long time ago, my family lived in Scotland. They lived near Wyvern Hill to be exact. They served in this very castle under the rule of Princess Katherine. I don't have all the details but I know that one of my ancestors was there that night the Vikings attacked. They left a journal that's been passed down through the years. My grandmother used to tell my stories about the Gargoyles who protected the castle. That's how I learned about the curse and your clan. It caught my interest, and well, that's how I got so interested in mythology. I was going to travel to Scotland and see if the statues were there like legend said, but it seems Mr. Xanatos beat me to it." She rubbed the back of her neck. "When I saw that he had brought the castle here, I was excited. I thought that maybe I'd finally find out if the stories were true. Until Mr. Xanatos sent his lap dog to warn me off. My friends accepted his bribe and his goons took my equipment. So, I had to shut the show down."

"Yeah, that sucks," Brooklyn muttered.

"We were rather upset hearing that it would be your last show," Lexington concurred.

She smiled. "Thank you. It's nice to know I have fans and I wasn't broadcasting to just empty air. But I still have my notes if you'd like to learn more about urban legends. May I ask why I've been brought here though?"

Goliath stepped forward, "We were concerned that Xanatos has bad intentions for you. We just want to make sure that you know that you have a place to turn to."

She was stunned to say the least but smiled, truly touched by his concern. "Thank you. I have been brought here as his relic expert though I know there are those more qualified than I. Perhaps he wants to keep an eye on me. I have been told many times I am too nosy for my own good. But in a way he has provided me with a place to stay and the means to provide for myself. So while I don't completely trust him, I still owe him my thanks. And I wish I could repay your kindness somehow." She bowed slightly, her necklace falling from its place in her top and swining in the air slightly.

As her back was to the camera, Owen was unable to see what it was.

_*Damn! Come on! Turn around! Turn so we can see what's on the chain!*_ Puck sniped grumpily in his head.

Elaine straightened, unaware of the camera trained on the group and that her necklace had been revealed. She tilted her head when Goliath's eyes widened. "What's wrong?"

"That necklace. Where did you get it?" Goliath asked as he pointed at the necklace in question.

Elaine looked down and held the pendant. It was a simple thing really, just a white crystal that seemed to glow all on it's own. "I've always had it. It's been passed down in our family for a long time. Why?"

"How long has it been since I have seen that pendant?" he asked himself.

"You've seen it before?" She looked up at him in wonder.

He nodded as he explained where he had seen it.

She looked thoughtful. "It belonged to my ancestress. It's said she owned it first before going to work in the castle. Huh. It seems fate has had a hand in us meeting. There's a story on how she got it but I can't remember it."

"Such stories can be remembered another time," Hudson stated.

She nodded before her stomach started growling, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since early that morning. She blushed and placed her hands over her middle after tucking her necklace out of sight again. "Pardon me. I haven't eaten since this morning."

"Food?" Broadway asked excitedly.

She laughed. "Well I'm sure Owen won't object to me using the main kitchen. If you'd like, I can cook for you all. I wouldn't mind doing it. I have 3 older brothers at home that eat a ton. Besides I have a bunch of meat my father and brothers sent me that I need help eating." She hoped they'd say yes, because she missed cooking for people and her ex roommates weren't huge meat eaters and she doubted very much Owen was big on meat.

They all nodded with smiles on their faces.

She smiled back and lead them into the kitchens, unaware that there were more cameras in there. "So, what was your favorite episode on the show?" She asked the trio as she started pulling out meat.

Both Brooklyn and Lexington answered at the same time as Brooklyn said, "Gators," while Lexington said, "the Jersey Devil."

She laughed. "Whoa! One at a time! No, there are no gators in the sewers. I doubt very much they'd survive down there with how much filth flows through there. If they didn't die of poisoning, they'd starve most likely. And the Jersey Devil has never been proven to exist but after meeting you guys... well I wouldn't pass anything off as make believe. So. what about you guys? Is it just Gargoyles that are real or do I have to watch out for fairies too?"

They tensed as they looked at each other nervously.

"I was joking guys. Aw man! Are fairies real, too?" She asked, looking at their faces. "No no. Don't tell me. Oberon and Titania are real as is Puck? Gran mentioned something about a Third Race." Their faces was all the answer she needed. She turned back to the stove and began frying up some steaks. "Ok then. Now I know don't piss off the Third Race. How do you like your steaks? Rather how raw do you usually take your meat?"

"We don't eat food that rare anymore," Goliath explained, "not with all the dangers that now can come from doing so now."

She nodded in understanding. "So, just a bit of pink? That's how I usually take them."

Once she got their permission, she kept cooking, adding baked potatos and fries as well as some other food that went well with steak. Once everything was done, she placed the plates in front of everyone. "Here you go! Hope you enjoy!"

They happily dug in and helped themselves.

She smiled happily and dug in herself. She looked around when Owen came into the kitchen and she swallowed what was in her mouth. "Hi Owen. I made extra if you were hungry." She gestured to the counter where extra helpings of food was. She smiled at him and then turned back to Goliath. "So, how do you like New York so far?"

He looked at Owen skeptically as he ate.

Elaine glanced at Owen, noting he had taken off his jacket and she could see his muscles through his shirt and wondered idly if he took martial arts. Her face burned and she quickly looked away when Owen looked at her.

_*Ooh! She was checking you out!* _Puck teased inside his head. _*She's got the hots for you!* _

_*Silence.*_ Owen muttered.

Puck's giggles were his only answer.

"Did you say something Owen?" Elaine asked as she looked at him, blush still faintly there.

"No," Owen replied.

She turned back around and began answered the trio's questions in a rather animated manner. It was plain to see she was passionate about what they were talking about.

"I'd have to say Puck." She said in reply to Hudson's question about who her favorite character was from _A Midsummers Night Dream_ was. "He's funny."

Owen glanced at her curiously as he chewed on his food.

"True, he kept bungling up things but in his defense, Oberon only told him about one couple in the woods that needed help. Puck made an honest mistake because there were two Athenian couples running around instead of the one. So, it was an honest mistake that proved to be hilarious. And it all worked out in the end. Everybody was happy, the couples were sorted, Oberon and Titania reconciled and Puck...well he got lucky it worked out alright. I don't think I'd want to know what would have happened if it didn't turn out right. I think he's a highly underappreciated character. He deserves his dues."

_*Not a word Puck.*_ Owen growled.

Elaine glanced at Owen wondering if that growl had come from him.

*_She likes me! She really likes me! And she's cute too!*_ Puck cheered, his mind on the scene from earlier that morning.

Elaine jolted in her seat when she heard loud barking coming their way and let out a shriek when she was knocked out of her chair by a blue blur. She tried to see what was on her but her face was attacked with a rough tongue and hot breath.

"Bronx, you great, hulking beast," Hudson growled, "get off her."

The so called Bronx whined and continued to smother her with kisses.

Elaine laughed as she managed to sit up and get a good look at Bronx. Her first impression was that he was some sort of Gargoyle version of a dog but seemed really friendly. She rubbed behind Bronx's ears and was rewarded with happy pants as he flopped on his back into her lap. She laughed again and started rubbing his tummy. "He's so cute!" She all but squealed. She laughed harder when Bronx decided to play and they wrestled around on the floor, Bronx winning as he gave her more slobbery kisses.

Owen glanced at her before going back to his food. He didn't move when Goliath playfully pulled Bronx off of her.

She sat up and wiped her face. "I'm guessing this is another member of your clan. He's adorable! He reminds me of my dogs back home. They're a bit bigger than Bronx but just as playful. You hungry Bronx?"

Bronx barked happily, wagging his short tail.

"Well, we know he likes you." Brooklyn chuckled.

Elaine laughed as she moved over to the counter to grab some steaks for Bronx, her hand brushing Owen's when he reached for something. She felt a zing go up her arm at the touch but brushed it off as static. She carried the plate over and crouched down in front of Bronx, putting the plate at his feet. "Here you go boy."

Bronx dug in happily, enjoying his treat.

Elaine meanwhile went to clean up her face.

"I think I shall call it a night," Owen muttered as he put his plate in the sink and washed it.

Elaine glanced at him before glancing at the clock. "So early? It hasn't even been that long since sundown. And you haven't told me when I'm supposed to start working on projects."

"That'll be for tomorrow," he mumbled without looking at her as he walked out.

Her shoulders slumped as she watched him walk out. She sighed before going back to her dinner. There was just something about him, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. She wasn't a reporter anymore but she was still curious and she was determined to solve the mystery that was Owen Burnett, whether he liked it or not.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5: The Gala

Elaine sighed softly as she closed a file she was studying and put it away. Her workday was over and she wanted nothing more to soak in a hot bath before going up to meet with her new friends the Gargoyles. She had grown exceptionally close to them over the two months she had been there.

During those two months, she found herself falling hard for Owen. She even went as far as to get him an incredibly rare book he'd been wanting but couldn't find. She knew someone from back home who had the book and was more than willing to let her have it. She had hoped that by giving him the book, Owen would be aware of her growing affection towards him. But, it hadn't worked. She was beginning to think that either he wasn't interested or he was batting for the other team. Elaine decided that maybe it was for the best and she should move on. Though she couldn't help but hold onto a small shred of hope. She had found Owen asleep in the chair in their living room and helped him to his room. But as she was taking his glasses off, Owen had grabbed her in his arms and kissed her, stealing her first kiss. Then he had just lain back down, fast asleep. Elaine didn't want to put much stock in it as she suspected him to have been half asleep.

"Elaine? You in here?"

Elaine looked at her office door as it opened to reveal Janine Renard or Fox as she liked to be called. Fox had heard about Elaine from her boyfriend David, and met with her. She found the younger girl intelligent with a big heart, a bit of a devious streak to her as well. They became fast friends and Fox would often come to the Eyrie Building to visit Elaine when she wasn't busy filming her tv show The Pack.

"Hi Fox. What brings you here?" Elaine asked.

Fox smirked and Elaine immediately became wary.

"Oh don't look at me like that! And after I came all this way to bring you a present." Fox teased.

"What do you mean?" Elaine asked.

"Well, I know you don't pay much attention to the social events, but there's a gala at the museum tonight. And since I know how much you love that sort of thing, I got us invitations to go."

"That's sweet of you but I don't even own a dress fancy enough for that sort of thing. And I doubt very much I'd have time to go shopping for one and getting my hair done and such."

"That's where I come in. Consider me your own personal fairy godmother for the night! I've already gotten you a dress and I'll do your hair and makeup. You'll look stunning tonight!"

"But what about Owen? Isn't it his job to go to these sort of things in while Mr. Xanatos is in jail?"

"Oh he's going and so are we. Besides, you need to get out more and I need a friend along with me incase Daddy tries setting me up with someone he deems respectable." Fox pulled a face. It was no secret that Mr. Renard despised David Xanatos and the fact that Fox was in love with him. Fox had mentioned that at one point, Owen worked for Renard and he felt that Xanatos had stolen Owen from him.

Elaine sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get out of this. "Alright, alright. I'll go."

Fox smiled and dragged Elaine out the door and to the elevators.

"Does Owen know I'm going?"

"I told him I was stealing you for the night."

The two women soon reached the bottom and stepped out, Fox dragging Elaine out the door past Owen.

Owen just watched them leave before turning to the elevators and going up. He didn't have time to worry about what antics the two were up to. He had to get dressed for the gala. He normally didn't care about these sort of things, but since David was in prison, it was up to Owen to represent the company. Once in his room he put on his tuxedo with a blue cumberbund and tie. Normally he would have worn the red but Fox had insisted he wear the blue she got him. He didn't question her, knowing it'd do him no good.

Fox took Elaine to the apartment where she had been staying before shoving her into her room. On the bed were two large dress boxes and several smaller boxes and bags. Elaine gulped nervously and looked at Fox who was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. That was all the warning Elaine got before Fox pounced and began Elaine's makeover.

By the time it was done, Elaine felt that there wasn't a part of her that hadn't been washed, trimmed, plucked, painted, moisturized, shaved, buffed, pulled, sprayed, brushed or filed. Fox had really gone all out to see to it that Elaine practically glowed, hair perfectly curled to hang down her back, and make up artfully applied.

Once she was satisfied, she dressed Elaine in a gorgeous dark blue dress that was styled like an ancient Greek dress with one shoulder strap, a silver brooch fastened to it as the extra fabric fell over her shoulder, leaving the other shoulder bare, a silver belt just under her breasts to highlight them, the rest of the fabric falling around her like a waterfall barely brushing the top of her toes, a slit on the right side of the skirt stopped at her upper thigh, her feet strapped into silver sandals. Silver bracelets adorned her wrists, a matching circlet graced her forehead, disappearing under her hair as it hung down her back. She wore diamond stud earrings and for her necklace, she wore the crystal she always wore, its beauty on full display. Her nails had been painted a silver to match the jewelry she wore. Fox had insisted that Elaine wear contacts so Elaine had left her glasses off and wore her contacts as much as she didn't like them.

Fox had gone with a red and gold theme that was considered a little daring by how low the neckline was and how high the slit in the skirt was.

Once Fox deemed them ready, she and Elaine went downstairs to the limo her father had sent for them.

Meanwhile, Owen was already at the gala and was standing around idly, a glass of champagne in his hand. He had already met with several associates of Xanatos, but they had quickly moved on when they didn't get anything out of him. He took notice when the entire room went quiet and everyone looked towards the stairs. He looked as well and felt his mouth go dry for some reason. Fox was descending the stairs but his eyes were on Elaine. She looked utterly stunning, like a goddess or a nymph. She looked different without her glasses and her hair down. Even Puck was stunned into silence. He noted he wasn't the only one staring at her as she followed behind Fox. He watched as her eyes scanned the crowd until they fell on him. She smiled and his stomach gave a funny little jolt as she kept smiling as she walked towards him.

"Hello Owen. You look dashing." She said easily once she reached him.

"You look beautiful." He replied, meaning every word.

"Thank you. It's all thanks to Fox."

As if she heard her name, Fox popped up next to them, the Cheshire Grin on her face again. "Elaine, there's someone I want you to meet." She took Elaine's arm and started leading her off, Owen close behind.

Fox didn't stop until she reached a man in a wheelchair, who was in conversation with a man Elaine had seen before.

"Daddy? I'd like you meet my friend, Elaine Winters. Elaine this is my father Halcyon Renard." Fox introduced.

Elaine stepped forward and offered her hand to the older man. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Renard."

The older man smiled as he took her hand and patted it gently with his other one. "And a pleasure to meet you as well my dear. This is my aide, Preston Vogel. He's told me quite a bit about you."

Elaine looked up at Preston who had a slight tinge of pink to his cheeks as he cleared his throat.

"I wasn't aware that I had made that big of an impression the night we met."

Renard laughed as he released her hand. "He told me you were the politest reporter he'd ever met, who actually seemed to understand what no comment means."

Elaine smiled. "I'm no longer a reporter. I work for Mr. Xanatos as his relic expert."

Renard's eyes hardened at the mention of the man but he still smiled at her. "If you ever wish to seek employment elsewhere, my door is always open."

Owen watched Elaine to see how she would respond and to see just how loyal she was to Xanatos.

She smiled easily. "Thank you sir, but I am quite happy with my current employment. I doubt very much I will be seeking to leave his employment for a long time."

Renard nodded, respecting her honesty and loyalty.

A song began to play and Elaine's eyes lit up. She knew the song well as it was often played in her home. She had never had the chance to hear it played by a live orchestra and she found herself swept away by the beautiful music. She glanced at Owen, hoping he'd ask her for a dance but he seemed intent on watching others dance.

"Miss Winters?" Preston spoke from beside her.

She looked up at him in surprise when he held out his hand to her.

"May I have this dance?"

She cast a brief glance at Owen before looking back at Preston and smiled. "Of course."

She took his hand and he led her out to the floor where they began to waltz in time with the others.

Puck was throwing a huge fit inside of Owen's head, hissing and spitting out threats of harm towards the male dancing with Elaine. Owen's face remained calm, giving no hint to the turmoil in his head, but he had a strange burning in his chest and he couldn't figure out why.

Elaine on the other hand, was enjoying herself. She found she rather liked Preston, despite his rather stiff and wooden personality.

Preston couldn't believe that the beauty he had the good fortune to dance with was the very same girl he had seen those months ago. She was truly a stunning creature and he found himself drawn to her warm smiles and gentle personality.

The dance soon came to an end and she thanked him for the dance and she was swallowed up by the crowd before he could blink.

Elaine wove through the throng of people, turning down dances and offers of a drink until she slipped seemingly unnoticed into one of the blessedly empty exhibit halls. She was in luck and ended up in the ancient Egyptian section. She wandered around, examining everything and soaking up the information she was offered like a sponge. She was looking at a set of jewelry when someone approached her side. She jumped a foot in the air when she turned and saw Preston next to her.

"Apologies. I did not mean to startle you." He said.

She smiled at him, letting him know it was alright.

"Miss Winters I don't mean to be so forward, especially since we just met and actually had a conversation but I was wondering if you…" He hesitated for a moment. "If you would like to join me for a cup of coffee sometime? You're quite different and I'd like to know more about you."

Elaine eyed him, debating if she should say yes. She knew she still held feelings for Owen in her heart but it was starting to look like her feelings were in vain. It wouldn't hurt if she tried to move on and Preston seemed pretty sincere. "Yes. I'd love to."

Preston smiled in relief and began chatting with Elaine about the various artifacts in the room.

Unknown to them, Owen was lingering just outside the doorway, having heard every word. He felt that burning feeling in his chest again while Puck muttered in his head.

_*It's her.*_

_*What?*_

_*That necklace she's wearing. I gave that to a mortal girl a thousand years ago. It holds light from the North Star. I gave it to her so I could find my way back to her but by the time I did, she was already married. She must have kept it and passed it on until it was given to Elaine. That's what Goliath meant when he said he had seen her necklace before. I don't know why I didn't notice it before. She looks so much like my Elinor.* _

Owen could detect sadness in Puck's tone and felt a stab of pity for him. He had lost someone and now her descendant stood before them on the arm of another man. Owen quietly slipped away from the new couple and disappeared into the crowd. He vaguely noted that his tie matched Elaine's dress, Fox's doing no doubt. He knew Xanatos would be most intrigued to learn of Elaine's interactions with Vogel.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: You Tricked Me

Elaine sighed happily as she cuddled into Preston's side as they watched a film at his home. Things had been going well and she couldn't be be happier. Though she was worried a bit because a huge shipment of arms for Xanatos Enterprises was stolen from the docks. She suspected that Tony Dracon was behind it, having heard plenty about the man from Elisa. It seemed the sort of thing he'd do. She knew that the particle beam guns in the hands of Dracon and any potential buyers was not a good thing. She knew she wouldn't be going anywhere alone at night for awhile.

Preston seemed to read her mind as he sat up. "Let's get you home. I'll rest easier knowing that you are safe inside the Eyrie building."

Elaine nodded and grabbed her shoes. They went down to the car and drove in comfortable silence. Once they reached the Eyrie Building, Elaine grabbed her bag but was distracted by a strange, clattering noise.

Even Preston was intrigued by the sound. "What is that?"

Elaine searched for the source of the noise but Preston found it before she did. She watched, her face growing pale as she saw him hold up between his fingers what could only be a bug. Her eyes darted to Preston's face, mouth open to explain that she had no idea about it.

"Wha... why do you have this?" He asked, utter betrayal written on his face.

"I swear I didn't know that was there!"

"Have you been spying on me this whole time?!"

"No! Why would I?! We never talk about work! What would I ever gain from you?!"

"Get out! Get out! It has a camera! I can't believe I trusted you!"

"What?! But we never go anywhere except your home! I'd never do this to you! I care about you! What could I possibly have to gain?! I'm just a relic expert! I don't even know half of what goes on in the company!" Elaine shouted, tears starting to brim in her eyes.

"You don't need to know anything! Just be the perfect, little spy for Xanatos! Get out!"

"Fine! Don't believe me! Don't believe the one person who actually cared about your stiff ass! I hate you! I can't believe I was actually starting to fall for you! Clearly I made a mistake!" She yelled back at him as she fumbled with the door and climbed out.

She slammed the door as hard as she could and ran up the steps and through the front doors, tears streaming down her face. She sobbed as she jammed the buttons on the elevator and stumbled in once the doors were opened. She tried to pull out her keycard but her vision was so blurred she couldn't see straight. She sank down to the floor in the corner as she buried her face in her knees. She felt the elevator start going up, but she didn't care as long as she was far away from Preston. She didn't even look up when she heard the doors open.

"Miss Winters?" Owen asked.

She winced. She did not want to see him. "Go away Owen." She said, choking on a sob.

"What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" She stumbled to her feet and tried to push her way past him unsteadily. But due to her vision still being blurred, she ended up tripping.

He caught her before she could hit the ground.

She clutched onto him as she broke down in tears again.

"Would you care for some tea?"

She nodded as she wiped at her eyes. She let Owen guide them to their shared wing and deposit her on the couch. She continued to cry softly as Owen prepared tea.

_*I'll kill that bastard for making her cry!*_ Puck growled.

_*It's our fault that he did.* _Owen replied evenly. _*You'd need to kill us first for causing it.*_

Elaine quietly thanked Owen as he handed her the tea. "He found a bug." She sniffled. "He didn't believe me when I said I didn't know about it."

"Well, considering that you work for his employer's rival, it is easy to understand why he'd find it hard to believe that you didn't have a part in something like that. How do you think one of those got in... where did he find it?"

She looked at him blankly. "He found it after it apparently fell from my bag." She set her tea down on the table, not being able to stomach anything at the moment.

"Hmm."

"He yelled at me and told me to get out. That I didn't need to know much to be Xanatos' perfect little spy."

"Well... he is right, the best spies are the ones that know nothing."

She gave him a look that clearly said he wasn't helping.

"Apologies..."

She sighed waving a hand. "It just hurts that he'd think that of me. That the time we spent together meant nothing." Her bottom lip trembled as she burst into tears again.

Owen winced as he sat down next to her. "It'll be alright."

Elaine turned and climbed into his lap as she cried into his chest, seeking comfort.

He was surprised, but didn't move to stop her.

She knew she probably shouldn't have done that but she just needed him. Soon her cries slowed until they stopped. She wiped her eyes and looked at him. "Sorry."

"Don't be."

She stared at him, wondering if she should tell him. "Owen?"

"Yes?"

She leaned in slightly. "I... um... have something to confess."

"What is that?"

"I... I... Um... I'm in love with you."

"What?"

"I'm in love with you. I have been for a long time." She said, blushing but not looking away from him. She leaned in closer, her eyes drifting shut as her lips brushed against his.

He sat there, motionless as she kissed him.

_*What are you doing you fool?! Kiss her back!*_ Puck hissed.

_*I don't know how to kiss, you never equipped me with such knowledge!*_ Owen growled.

_*Yes I did! But you never used it so they were all but forgotten!*_ Puck huffed as he explained.

Owen kissed back hesitantly.

It seemed to be the right move as she wound her arms around his neck and kissed him slowly so he could follow.

Something snapped in his mind. _*No! This is wrong! I will not take advantage of her!*_ He gripped her hands and pulled her away.

She gasped startled, looking at him wide eyed and a bit fearfully.

"We shouldn't."

Elaine lowered her head in shame and crawled out of his lap. "I just thought that maybe since you stole my first kiss, maybe you cared about me too. Guess the joke's on me." Her voice was void of emotion and she didn't look at him.

"What?" *_Puck, what happened?!*_

_*Um... I might have given you a little push that night you fell asleep out here. Elaine helped you to bed and... you kissed her.* _

Elaine sniffled. "Of course. I should have seen it. I'm such a fool." She stood up abruptly and started heading for her room.

_*This is on you then...* _"Elaine, wait."

But Elaine ignored him and slammed her door shut behind her. That would be the last she would speak to him for some time.

A couple of weeks passed and Elaine had not spoken one word to Owen since. She was stressed beyond belief not only from Owen and Preston's rejection, but the news Elisa had been shot and nearly died. She hadn't even gone to visit the Gargoyles and would pretend to be asleep if they stopped by.

Xanatos, meanwhile, was plotting of ways to get the Gargoyles out of his home, but he needed a way to get Elaine out of the way, should she try to step in. Her stress was just the answer he needed. So he told Owen to arrange for Elaine to stay at a spa in Miami, no expense spared.

Owen's only problem was actually getting Elaine to speak to him. She was very adament in not speaking to him so he could convince her to go. So, he turned to Fox.

Elaine went to visit Fox and was led into a small room, unaware that Xanatos and Owen were in the next room and could hear every word.

"I don't know Fox. I just don't feel right about taking off in the middle of work." Elaine said as she slumped in her seat across from the redhead. "Heaven knows I need a vacation though. What with the whole mess with Burnett, Vogel and Elisa being shot." Elaine looked up at Fox. "What do you think?"

"I think that you've earned it," Fox replied.

Elaine nodded. "But Elisa is still recovering and I just don't feel right about leaving the castle. Heaven knows I need a vacation from Burnett. Ugh. Why'd I have to go fall for him? And don't you dare say I need to get laid. I'm happily a virgin thank you and I intend to keep it that way." Elaine said, pulling a face.

"See it as a way to get away from Mr. Asexual."

Elaine cracked up. "Mr. Asexual? Fox, you're terrible!"

"Tell me that I'm wrong. Have you seen a sweet pair of knockers or a nice butt turn his head?"

Elaine grumbled as she glanced down at her rather nice bust and shook her head. "He never looked at mine that's for sure. "

"I rest my case."

Owen glared at Xanatos when he snorted at that.

"Well, he could bat for the other team. He never reacted when I walked out in a towel. Don't give me that look! I lived with 3 brothers, my da, and my granda, all of which who have chased me when I was a wee thing who didn't like clothes or diapers for that matter. Modesty in that sense isn't that big a deal with me considering I live with him and I'm used to my brothers barging into the bathroom we shared."

"I've never seen him react with a guy, and he doesn't get cozy with David."

Xanatos scooted from Owen at that, giving him a weird look.

"Ew! Fox! Mental image I don't need! I'm perfectly fine with two men loving each other, but that is just nasty! Argh! My mind is coming up with all sorts of images, none of which are pleasant!"

"Seriously, I think he's smooth like a Ken doll."

Owen scooted away this time when Xanatos looked at him again.

"Oh gross! Fox! Again with the mental images! I live with the guy! Pretty sure he has something down there. Well, he doesn't jump me when I go by at least."

Fox giggled, "Whatever you say. How would you know that he even has anything, by the way?"

"Not that I want him to! And I plead the fifth on that." Elaine retorted her face going red.

Fox grinned, "I smell a story. Spill."

Elaine groaned. "Why am I friends again with you, you red haired Cheshire cat? Wait, don't answer that I don't want to know. Well, it happened shortly after I started working at the Eyrie and well Owen fell asleep on the chair. Perfect size for me to curl up on, him not so much. So, I helped him to his room and I helped him with his clothes. Stop grinning like that! I wasn't going to let him sleep in his suit! And I may or may not have noticed the package when I was undoing his belt. He kissed me in his sleep and I left. Nothing happened."

"How big? Wait, what?!"

Elaine blushed. "First I am so not gonna discuss that with you since I hate his guts now, second it was done in his sleep. He didn't remember it at all. It was my first kiss though."

Owen grumbled as Xanatos smirked at him.

"Of all the people it could have been why'd it have to be him?! Sammy, my ex roommate would have been better! Heaven knows he was trying to get into my pants for months!" Elaine griped. "Men stink! Love stinks too!"

"Then go on this vacation, have fun, relax, and don't think about men."

"Surprised you're not telling me to go out and have a romantic fling with some hot surfer dude in Miami." Elaine teased her friend.

"That involves a man, and they stink, remember?"

Elaine snickered. "And that's why I'm friends with you. I'll bring you back something. Thanks Fox. I really feel better."

"Excuse me, but visiting hours are over." The Guard said as he stepped into the room.

Elaine hugged Fox goodbye and promised to call when she landed safely in Miami. And with that she walked out of the room, unaware Owen was leaving the room next door. She paused for only a moment but continued briskly on her way as if she hadn't seen him.

Owen glanced at her as she walked past before following her at a more subdued pace.

Elaine made it outside and huffed in annoyance when she saw that the cab she ordered wasn't there yet. She waited a few minutes before it finally pulled up, but before she could take one step towards it, a man pushed past her and got into it himself. Elaine huffed angrily as the cab drove off, wondering how she was gonna get back now. She pondered about going back inside to call for a cab again but it was getting close to sundown and she promised that she'd make dinner for the clan. She knew she was going to be late if she called a cab and if she was late Goliath would worry. Elaine didn't look at Owen when he stood next to her.

_*She doesn't look so good.*_ Puck mused.

And he was right. Elaine's skin was paler than normal and there were bags under her eyes, showing she hadn't slept in awhile, her eyes slightly red, most likely from tears.

Owen held up his hand and hailed a cab for her. She was about to gripe at him as he backed away and allowed her a chance to enter the cab that stopped for him.

She looked at him in surprise before a very faint smile crossed her lips. "Thank you. It's nice to know chivalry isn't completely dead." She stepped into the cab and watched him as he slowly shrank from view. She sat back and pondered her actions. Maybe being mad at him wasn't the best course of action. Maybe he hadn't wanted to take advantage of her. She felt that perhaps it was time to forgive him. But she'd do that after she had rested from her vacation.

She reached the tower just before sunset and went into the kitchen to start making dinner. She heard the roars of the clan waking up in the distance and knew it was only a matter of minutes before they came in. She heard Bronx barking and turned just in time to be bowled over by the happy Gargbeast. She laughed as she wrestled with him a bit and rubbed his belly, looking up when the others entered the room.

Goliath, at once, went to her and held her face gently as he inspected it, seeing that she had not slept and he could smell the faint trace of tears on her face. He said nothing but pulled her into his arms and began running his claws through her hair.

Elaine was startled but hugged him around his middle, the only place she could reach, being mindful of his wings.

"Goliath, can I tell her?" Lexington asked excitedly before the other two started chattering, saying they wanted to tell her.

Elaine pulled away slightly and looked up at Goliath. "Tell me what? This better not be a new motorcycle again. I don't want a repeat of what happened last time."

Goliath chuckled and shook his head. "It is nothing like that. We have talked it over as a clan and we wish for you be a part of it."

Lexington jumped in. "If you say yes, we'll be your rookery brothers and you'll be our rookery sister!"

"We already think of you as a sister, this will just make it official." Brooklyn added.

"So what do you say Elaine?" Broadway asked eagerly.

"If you choose to accept, Hudson and I will be..." Goliath paused trying to think of how to explain it.

"What the lad means lass is that Goliath will be your rookery father and I will be what humans refer to as a grandfather." Hudson helpfully supplied.

Elaine blinked in surprise. "But why? Why me? I'm just a human."

"Because you have done so much for us and you care for and guard the castle like any gargoyle. You watch over us during the day. We would be honored if you would join our clan." Goliath said.

Elaine pondered about what Goliath was saying. She truly did care about the clan and considered them to be family, but for them to consider her family and want her a part of their clan was truly touching. She smiled and nodded. "Yes, I will."

The Trio cheered as Goliath hugged her again.

"Now, perhaps you can tell us the occasion behind the feast you are preparing for us lass." Hudson said, gesturing to all ingredients she had out.

Elaine pulled away from Goliath and tucked some hair behind her ear. "I'm going away for awhile."

Goliath looked at her curiously. "Might I ask how long and why?"

"I won't be gone too long. I'm just going down the coast to Florida to Miami to a spa. Mr. Xanatos feels I need a vacation and has graciously paid all the expenses."

Goliath grasped his chin in contemplation, but decided to say nothing.

Elaine noted his look and smiled. "I know that look. I think he's planning something due to his release coming up. Most likely he wants me out of the way of whatever it is. If I may be honest, I'd prefer not to be involved in his plots. The less I know the better. Just promise me you'll be on your guard while I'm gone."

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "You have our word."

She smiled before clapping her hands. "Great! Well, I better get back to cooking to feed my hungry clan. Broadway, will you help me please?"

The rest of the night passed with much laughter and happiness, no one aware that it would soon come crashing down around them.

Two weeks later, Elaine was getting ready to come home after a peaceful vacation. She was excited to see her clan again and was bringing them many gifts. She knew it was still daylight, but she wanted to call ahead and let them know she was coming home.

There was a phone that had been installed in the upper floors of the castle that was used by the clan to keep in contact with Elaine if she was going to be out late or wasn't going to be able to come up and see them until late.

She picked up the phone and dialed the number. She waited patiently as it rang, smiling when she heard the beep, signalling that she could record her message. "Hey guys! I know you guys are still asleep, but I wanted to let you know that I'm heading to the airport in just a bit and I'll be home late tonight. Can't wait to see you, and I'm bringing gifts back. See you soon!" She hung up, unaware that her clan would not be there when she returned.

After a long but comfortable flight, Elaine took a cab to the Eyrie building, happy to be home. She decided she would forgive Owen and hope that they could move on.

She ran up the stairs to the tower after dumping her bags in her room, eager to see the clan. But there was no happy barking to greet her when she ran into the courtyard and no cries of welcome. Instead she was greeted by an empty courtyard that looked like it had seen battle. She looked around for the clan praying that they were still there, but there was no trace of them. "What happened here?" She asked herself as she stared at their empty sleeping spots. She turned when she heard footsteps behind her and saw Owen. "What have you done to them? Where is my clan?"

He looked at her curiously at how she had called them her clan. "I have done nothing to them. They no longer reside here."

"What?" She turned to him fully. "What happened to my clan, Burnett?" Her eyes were starting to become icy as her lips pressed into a thin line. "Tell me!"

"Macbeth showed."

"What? MacBeth? You mean the king from the story? What's that supposed to mean to me?"

"He attacked the gargoyles."

"MacBeth is a character from a play! You're telling me a fictional character attacked my clan?! What aren't you telling me?!"

He sighed, rubbing his brow. He really didn't want to do this, but he knew that it would go better if he just told her. Looking down at her, he confessed all that he knew Xanatos would allow him.

She stared at him in horror as she stepped back. "You tricked me..."

"I couldn't risk you being here," Owen stated, "he would not have hesitated in killing you."

"So, you lied to me! You sent me away from my clan when they needed me! How could you?! This is their home Owen! Did you ever stop and think about how they felt? They lost their entire clan here! They swore to protect this place! How do you think they felt being forced into stone sleep, only to wake up in some strange new place?! No wonder you were trying to talk to me. You were trying to get me out of the way."

"I was trying to get you somewhere safe."

"What do you care? I can't believe you. You're a heartless monster, Owen Burnett. I hope you can live with what you've done." She looked at him coldly, disappointment clear in her eyes before she walked past him. "To think I thought I was wrong about you and you deserved another chance."

He winced at that, unsure of why.

Elaine found the Gargoyles safe and sound but she didn't speak to Owen for a long time. Any time something happened that she didn't need to know about, Xanatos would usually send her off someplace for a few days. At first, it bothered her, but then she realized, the less she knew the better.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Mirror

Elaine flipped through several books at once, feverishly working. Elisa had called earlier that evening to tell her that Demona had stolen a mirror from the museum. And not just any mirror, Titania's Mirror to be precise. Elaine knew that the mirror was bad news, but she didn't know all that it did, which didn't bode well for anyone, especially if it was in the hands of Demona.

Elaine finally found a book that described the mirror. "Let's see, there are actually two mirrors but only one has ever been found. The mirror has many properties such as the ability to be used as a portal, to summon a Child of Oberon and to amplify magic. The mirror is considered one of the more powerful and dangerous of magical artifacts. Oh crap. If Demona has it, who knows what she can do with it. I need to call Elisa and warn her to be careful." Elaine reached for her phone but a strange flash of light momentarily causing her to black out.

When she opened her eyes again, she knew something was seriously off. She caught sight of herself in her office mirror and gasped. She was a Gargoyle! She examined her new self more closely. Her jeans were ruined due to the tail now sticking out of her behind and her blouse was ruined as well thanks to her wings. She was grateful she wasn't wearing shoes as she couldn't imagine that being comfortable. Her skin was a pale almost minty sort of green that worked well with her blonde hair. She didn't have horns or ridges on her face but she did have the fangs and claws. She was taller too. Once she managed to figure out how to walk and not hit things with her tail, she folded her wings around her like she had seen Goliath do and started searching for either Xanatos or Owen.

She was tempted to try out her wings but she knew that would have been a seriously bad idea as she didn't know how to fly and the clan wasn't around to help her. She really didn't want to go splat on the ground below. She checked Owen's office but there was no trace of him. So she went to Xanatos.

Xanatos had suffered the same fate as her though he was much taller than she was and had brow ridges in a manner similar to Goliath. He looked up when she entered the room.

"Something isn't right here." She said. She was highly disturbed by this sudden change in events.

Xanatos, on the other hand, was oddly pleased with his new look. He looked at his wings, a calculating look on his face.

"I wouldn't advise trying to fly, sir. Neither of us know how to and it would be most unwise to try." Elaine quickly said to hopefully keep him from doing what she knew he was thinking about.

"Come now Elaine! Don't you want to fly? And it can't be that much different than using one of the Steel Clan suits." Xanatos smirked.

"Might I remind you that with the Steel Clan you have jet rockets attached to them and they are not made of flesh and blood. And no, I don't want to fly. I hate heights."

"And yet you work in the castle." Xanatos remarked in amusement.

Elaine pulled a face at him. "The sheer irony of my situation never ceases to amaze me, sir."

Xanatos chuckled.

Elaine had been very upset with the whole MacBeth incident but then realized that the further away Goliath and the clan was from Xanatos, the safer they would be. So, she had come to tolerate Xanatos and they'd usually banter if they crossed paths. Xanatos also agreed that the less Elaine knew, the safer it was for her and agreed to her request that if something was going on that she didn't need to be involved in, to send her out of the building or the city do jobs for him, an idea Goliath fully agreed with. It worked out rather well, though she was still mad at Owen for lying to her.

Speaking of Owen...where was he?

Xanatos seemed to read her thoughts as he looked around. "Have you seen Owen? He was just here awhile ago."

Elaine shook her head.

"Hmm. But perhaps you can tell me what caused this?" He said, gesturing at their current state.

"I believe Demona is behind this. Earlier this evening, a mirror was stolen. And not just any mirror but Titania's Mirror, an extremely powerful magical artifact. With it in her possession, it's very likely she summoned a Child of Oberon to do her bidding. A trickster most likely. I doubt very much that she would have used a spell to turn us and possibly the rest of the island into Gargoyles. I believe that she used said Child to try and wipe us out, but instead we were changed into Gargoyles."

Xanatos grew thoughtful, almost like he suspected something. "You're possibly right. Let us hope she isn't able to wipe us out."

"A Child of Oberon cannot directly interfere in human affairs, which counts in our favor. Rather scary thought that it's the only thing keeping us alive."

Xanatos nodded. "Indeed. I wonder how long this spell will last."

Elaine shrugged. "If anything, Goliath and the clan are fighting Demona as we speak, but I worry. If she's got the mirror and the fae they could be in some serious trouble, especially if it's a trickster."

Xanatos didn't have time to reply as there was another flash of light, same as before and when it faded, they were themselves once more.

"Well, that was convenient. That will be all for the day. Take the rest of the night off and tomorrow too." Xanatos said, waving a hand to dismiss her.

Elaine quickly scurried off to her room to change out of her torn clothes. She quickly tossed them aside and changed into her favorite tank top and sleeping shorts before going into the ensuite kitchen to cook something. She didn't want to go all the way to the main kitchen as she was tired. She was debating on what to cook when she heard a thump come from behind her. She turned around but didn't see anyone. She grabbed a frying pan and started creeping into the living room. "Hello? Is someone there?" She got no answer.

She crept around the couch and paused. Lying face down on the ground was a person and a rather strange looking one at that. From what she could see he had long white hair, a red shirt outlined in gold, a purple tunic with a yellow sash, dark blue leggings, reddish brown boots also trimmed in gold with gold arm bands clamped onto each of his wrists. She set the pan down and crouched down. He didn't appear to be awake so she cautiously reached a hand out and began poking the strange being before her. She hoped he wasn't dead.

She hesitated again before sitting on her knees and rolled him over. He groaned with the motion as she tried to be gentle with him.

She looked at him, struck by his looks. She saw his ears and there was no doubt in her mind that he was a Fae, possibly the same one who was the cause of all the trouble earlier. She wondered what to do with him. She couldn't just leave him here on the ground with the chance of Owen finding him. She slid her arms under his legs and back, lifting him up into her arms, noting he was a bit shorter than her and rather light.

She carried him into her room and laid him down on her bed. She fetched a cold rag and left it on his head before she went to fix him something to eat. She wasn't sure what Faes actually ate so she grabbed him some fruit to be safe. She walked back in and found he was still asleep. She took the time to fully examine him when she noticed strange red marks on his arms. She set the tray down and gently lifted his arm up so she could see better. Her stomach roiled as she saw what looked like burn marks from a chain, no doubt an iron one. She knew iron was harmful to Faes and it could kill them. She got up and went looking for something to clean his arms and bind them up.

He groaned as his head turned this way and that. Puck blinked a few times before looking up at the ceiling. He groaned as he sat up to see that he was in Elaine's room. He looked down to see that she had placed him in her bed. He was rather confused at first, but then was touched by her kindness. Reaching behind him, he gently gripped one of her pillows and hugged it as he breathed in her scent. It was soft and sweet, reminding him of melons.

Elaine came back into the room, her arms full of medical ointments and bandages. She paused in the doorway in surprise but smiled sweetly at him. "Good you're awake. You had me worried there for a moment. I thought Demona really did something awful to you." She walked over to him, dumping her load on the bed before climbing up and sitting cross legged next to him. "How do you feel?" She didn't remark on the fact that he was hugging one of her pillows.

"Tired, but better than I felt when I came here."

"Why did you come here if I may ask?"

"Felt safe."

She nodded as she picked up some antiseptic and cotton. She reached for his arms. "Those need to be cleaned to reduce the risk of iron poisoning."

"You are very kind."

"It's the right thing to do. I just couldn't leave you there." She took hold of his arm and began cleaning it. "Even if you were the one to cause all that havoc earlier." She finished his arm and began bandaging it. "I never did get your name."

"Puck, and I didn't cause it willingly. I just went about it in a way where I couldn't get in trouble with Oberon while obeying what I was told."

"I'm glad you did. I don't think it would have ended well for us if you were able to wipe out humanity." She said as she finished bandaging his arm and then began cleaning the other. "You're safe here with me. I won't tell anyone you're here. I don't think you'll have to worry about my roommate. I don't think he's here. Even if he was, I still wouldn't tell him about you. We aren't on speaking terms."

"Why not, might I ask?"

"I wouldn't want to bore you with the details."

"Go ahead, please."

She sighed as she started bandaging his arm. "Well, things happened and my clan was run out of the castle. Turns out he tricked me into leaving. I wasn't here to protect them. Not to mention the bug incident. There's no doubt in my mind how it ended up on my purse. Thanks to him, I lost a relationship."

"That is rather unfortunate."

"No kidding. And just when I was thinking about forgiving him. Doesn't help he stole my first kiss. Wasn't even that good. He makes me so angry sometimes. And yet I can't help but still love him. It's pathetic."

"He stole your first kiss?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"He was half asleep and I was helping him to bed. I wasn't just going to leave him in the chair. He would have had a serious backache."

"Then maybe he had no idea of what he was doing."

"Even so I confessed and he rejected me. It's like he's trying to make me angry. I don't want to be but just... ugh."

"When did he reject you?"

"Pretty good long while back. I took time to think and thought maybe he wasn't trying to take advantage. I was going to talk to him when I got home, but then I found out he tricked me to get me out of the castle." She finished his arm and wrapped her arms around her knees. "He just confuses me. I want to hate him, but at the same time I can't."

"Might I ask who chased away your clan?"

"You wouldn't believe me."

He looked at her with a deadpan face as he muttered, "Try me."

She sighed. "MacBeth."

"Then the fellow who sent you on your way was wise. That man would not have hesitated in killing you, and you should see that, especially if he was capable of chasing your whole clan off."

"He didn't have to lie to me though."

"Would you have gone if he told you outright?"

"Possibly not, but I would have gone eventually. I don't appreciate being lied to."

"He lied to you, knowing that that was the only way to get you away in sufficient time. I cannot say that it was the honorable thing to do, but I can understand why he would."

"What do you think I should do? I want to forgive him, but I'm still angry at him."

"The best time to forgive someone is when you are angry. It isn't easy, but that is the sure way to know you have forgiven them when you are no longer angry."

"I want to, I really do. I think I'm more angry over the fact that not once has he ever apologized. I think that's why I'm so mad. He knows these things hurt me, and yet not a word of apology. I know I said some things that weren't true. He's not heartless nor is he a monster. I reacted in anger. If he'd just say 'I'm sorry' and just those two words I'd be happy. I'd go and apologize to him right now, but I can't find him. I'm worried about him."

"Maybe apologizing is a hard and foreign concept to him. Perhaps you should act as a guide?"

Elaine nodded. "Perhaps you're right. I don't want some big fancy apology like most women do. Two little words is all I want. But enough about that. I brought you some food incase you were hungry. I don't know what Faes eat so I brought you fruit. You're also welcome to stay in here for tonight to rest before you go back to... well wherever you come from."

"Thank you, fruit is just fine." With that, he ate some of the food that she brought. However, his mind was preoccupied. He paused as he looked at her. "I would like to offer you something for all that you have done for me tonight."

"You don't need to offer me anything." she said quickly. "I just did what I felt was right."

"No, it would be considered an insult to not give anything in return for a kindness."

"Honestly, I don't need anything." She protested. "Your health and recovery is all the thanks I need." She pushed him back into the pillows gently with practiced ease. "You need your rest."

"Please, I insist," he pleaded, gently grasping her forearm, "Please?"

She sighed and nodded. "Just please don't strain yourself. As much as I enjoy your company, I wouldn't want your company to be because you cannot leave."

He grinned impishly. "Puck is many things, but _never _a poor guest."

She couldn't stop the laugh that fell from her lips, which made him grin even more. "Alright trickster. Do as you will."

"What can I give you that is worthy of the kindness you have given me?"

"No more than you're willing to give. I honestly don't know what to ask for."

"A kiss."

She blushed as she looked at him. "A kiss? Why a kiss?"

"It is within my power, and it is something of measurement to at the very least be equivalent to what you have done for me."

She blushed deeper, chewing her lip slightly before she nodded in consent. She leaned forward slightly, closing her eyes. She cracked an eye open when she felt him move and quickly drew back, looking away. "Sorry I've never actually done this sort of thing and I'm still inexperienced."

"Then allow me to lead you in this experience."

She looked at him and held still, her eyes closing again.

He leaned in and kissed her gently.

She felt warm all over as she melted into the kiss, kissing him back. She then became heavy as Puck caught her sleeping form.

"Forgive me, dear one."

_*Puck what did you do to her?* _

_*She is simply sleeping. She won't remember tonight.*_

Elaine slumbered on, happily nestled against Puck's chest with his arms around her.

_*Then put her to bed and leave.* _

_*She invited me to stay and I'm too tired to move. Besides, I don't think I'll be able to go anywhere at the moment.*_ Puck smiled and nuzzled into her hair contently. _*You sure are lucky Owen. After everything, she still loves you.* _

_*You are really something, you know that? If I could, I'd drag you out by your hair.*_

_*What did I do?*_

_*You're too damn smug.*_

_*Naturally. Really Owen, you heard the girl. Two little words. I envy you. Go to sleep Owen.* _Puck made himself comfortable, while making sure Elaine was too. He settled down and felt his eyes close. He was going to enjoy this small moment of peace.

The early morning sun peeked through the curtains hours later and feel across the bed. Owen opened his eyes, finding himself back in his own body. He lay curled around Elaine, his arms wrapped around her small frame, her face pressed against his chest. She looked so small and delicate compared to him. She yawned softly and snuggled closer, his name falling from her lips.

He looked at her, confused. How on earth could she have fallen in love with a machine like him? True, Puck used the term, rock, but machine seemed to be Xanatos's choice of words. None of it made sense to him.

He quietly crawled out of her bed and offered her a pillow to hug before tucking her into bed. He then stood there watching her, unsure of what to do.

She clutched the pillow readily, curling around it with a smile. She shifted a bit, muttering in her sleep before she settled. The rising sun shone on her sleeping frame, making her hair look like flame. He couldn't deny she looked truly stunning in that moment, his heart quickening.

He quickly gathered her torn blouse and pants from the previous night to get rid of any evidence of her turning into a Gargoyle. He headed for the door but paused in the doorway and looked back. She certainly confused him but intrigued him at the same time. He wondered what would happen in the future. For now he would let her sleep. She needed it and after last night, he needed sleep as well.

Thankfully, Xanatos gave him the day off and Owen gratefully headed for bed. But rest did not find him so easily as his dreams were haunted by Elaine who lay fast asleep on the other side of the wall.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Eye of the Beholder

Elaine sat curled up in her favorite chair by the fireplace in the wing, a mug of hot tea on the table next to her and book in her hands. She didn't look up when Owen walked in, dressed in a tux.

"So, did Boss finally pop the question?" Elaine asked as she turned a page in her book. She looked up at him as he started loosening his tie. "Don't keep me in suspense here."

"He did," he replied.

Elaine smiled happily. "About time if you aske me! No doubt Fox will be in here soon to show off her ring." Elaine said with an amused look as she settled back into her chair.

The two were once again on speaking terms after apologizing but their relationship was still strained at times. But they made the best of it and settled into a rather comfortable companionship.

"He didn't get her a ring."

Elaine sat up and looked at him. "What do you mean he didn't get her a ring? What did he give her?"

He looked away as he ruffled his hair. "The Eye of Odin."

"What?! Ok, Boss has done a lot of crazy and stupid things, bringing back a dead Gargoyle and messing around with genetics are just a few, but this is by far the dumbest thing he's done! I never finished studying that before he donated it! That things got bad juju attached to it! It didn't feel right when I was handling it. I'm telling you, nothing good will come of it." She huffed settling in her chair again, muttering about bad juju under her breath. "There's dinner in the fridge and fresh coffee too."

"Thank you."

She just waved at him, nose stuck in her book. "This will end very badly, mark my words."

And Elaine was right. Shortly after Fox receiving her necklace, mysterious sightings of a vicious creature was being reported going on for weeks until October the 31st.

Elaine was currently getting ready to meet with the Gargoyles and Elisa for a Halloween street party. She decided to go as Alice from Alice in Wonderland. She fixed the bow on her head until it was straight. Satisfied with her appearance, Elaine grabbed her bag and headed out of the wing, only to find her way blocked by Owen. She looked up at him as he stood in her way, her face clearly saying she wasn't amused. "What? I am going to be late so I don't have much time to chat."

"I don't think you should go," he said.

"Excuse me? And just why not? Boss told me he wants me to go out tonight."

"I don't think it is a good idea," he confessed. "I have a bad feeling about you going out."

"Since when do you worry? That's not like you. Is there something going on? Does this have to do with those strange sightings that have been going on since the 4th of this month?" She asked as she crossed her arms.

"I'm not allowed to say, but that alone should be enough to answer your question.."

Elaine sighed rolling her eyes. "I'm still going out. Boss said go out so I'm going out." She tried making her way past him.

"I don't want you getting hurt."

"I won't get hurt." She retorted as she started for the elevator.

"How am I supposed to know that? You are going to see the gargoyles and they attract trouble."

"So does working here with the Boss."

"Still, you know what I mean. Xanatos at least has you leave to keep you out of it."

"Yeah yeah yeah. I was lucky when it came to that creepy scientist who mutated Derek Maza. Still it's Halloween Owen. I'll be ok. I'm not going out unarmed." To prove her point, Elaine pulled out a taser from under her skirts and held it up for Owen to see, pulling out a small bottle of pepper spray from between her breasts as well.

He sighed, knowing that there was no winning with her.

She tucked her weapons back before wrapping her arms around his middle in a hug. "You worry too much. I'll be alright. If it gets to be too much, I'll come home early. Besides. You know I don't go looking for trouble."

"Promise?"

She smiled as she pulled back. "Promise. Now go play mad scientist or whatever it is you do with Boss."

She walked away and blew him a kiss before the elevator doors shut, blocking her from his view.

_*She was so adorable in that dress! But I am worried about her too._* Puck commented.

_*That does not make me feel better, Puck.*_

Elaine, unaware of the dangers that would soon come that night, was happily enjoying the festival with her rookery brothers. She watched rather wistfully as Goliath and Elisa danced, wanting to experience what they had.

She was drawn from her thoughts when she heard screams and roars. She turned to see people running from one of the buildings, screaming about a monster. Goliath and Elisa went to investigate and a werewolf leapt out of the building a few minutes later. Elaine stilled in shock as she saw the Eye of Odin around it's neck and Fox's tatoo over it's eye, which meant the werewolf was Fox herself.

Fox leaped to one of the buildings and disappeared onto the roof. Elaine didn't hesitate to find a fire escape and climb up. She had to get the Eye off of Fox before it was too late. She pulled out her taser and kept an eye out, but Fox seemed to have disappeared. All of a sudden a massive paw flew out of the shadows and hit Elaine in the stomach, sending her back. She rolled across the roof a few times before her back hit a wall with a great deal of force. She grunted on impact, her vision and head swimming with pain.

She was vaugely aware of Elisa and Goliath shouting, Xanatos' voice in the mix before there was a flash of light and one last roar. She held a hand to her head as she made out Elisa wrapping her skirt around the now normal Fox. She looked up and saw Owen landing the company chopper on the roof a distance away.

Goliath spoke with Xanatos before turning to her and helping her up. "Are you alright Elaine? That was a very foolish thing to do. What were you thinking?"

"I was trying to save my friend. And I'll be alright. Nothing a hot bath won't fix. You best get the Eye out of here. Keep it safe somewhere so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands again. Go. I'll be ok. The sun will be up soon."

Goliath nodded, putting a gentle hand on her head before taking off with the clan. Elisa bid her goodbye and Elaine promised that she would return the skirt to her.

Elaine shifted, grimacing as her body twinged. She noticed she had lost a shoe in her tumble but felt no urge to look for it.

Owen rushed over to her. "Elaine!"

She winced and held up a hand. "Not so loud if you please. Well, I didn't die. But I lost my taser and my shoe." She smiled up at him weakly.

"That's not funny," he scolded her, lifting her up.

"Yeah yeah I know." She grumbled, letting her head fall onto his shoulder.

She barely reacted when he sat her in the back of the chopper but woke up a bit more when Xanatos placed Fox in the back as well. Elaine scooted closer and lay Fox's head in her lap to offer some form of comfort while making sure Fox was covered.

No one said a word on the way back to the Eyrie building, something Elaine was grateful for. She was still mad at her boss for giving Fox the Eye even when he knew she hadn't fully examined it yet.

They soon arrived home and Xanatos took Fox inside. Elaine made her own way out of the helicopter and began limping off for her room. She didn't get very far when Owen lifted her up again.

She protested violently but never struck him as she thrashed around in his grip which didn't last long as she only irritated her injuries. "Put me down now!"

He only did once he reached his bed as he placed her on it. "Stay put while I get a first aid kit."

She scowled at his retreating back before unding her apron and the back of her dress, intent on getting a shower. Since her back was to the door she didn't see Owen return nor that he saw the huge bruise on her back. She heard his intake of breath and she turned on him hissing as she pressed the front of her dress over her breasts to keep it in place. "Do you mind?!"

He held up the first aid kit as he moved to pull her closer.

She tried scrambling away, not wanting him to touch her. "I'll take care of myself!"

He wrapped an arm around her. "Be still."

Her mind went into a panic as she thrashed. "Let go of me Blake!" The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them. She stilled and looked away.

He loosened his grip as he looked at her curiously. "Who is Blake?"

She sighed. "My abusive ex from back home." She couldn't stop the tears from falling down her face.

He made her look at him. "Elaine..."

She tried to look away. "Don't look at me. Please."

"Why?"

"I don't like it when people see me cry. It makes me weak. And don't say that I'm not. I am weak because I couldn't even leave him. Not until he almost killed me."

"What?"

"We were fighting...and he pushed me right into the glass coffee table. It shattered under me...and a huge shard of glass went into my back. He saw what happened and he ran like a coward. He left me there to die." She turned her back and moved her hair, letting her dress fall to her hips to show him the huge scar on her back. "The doctors said it was a miracle it missed anything vital."

He and Puck both winced as they gazed at it. Owen, acting on instinct, gently pulled her into his arms as he held her close.

She couldn't stop herself from breaking down in his grasp, feeling safe and secure. She soon cried herself out and wiped her eyes. "Sorry."

"Don't be."

Owen let her go and carried her into the bathroom so she could clean up. While she did that, he got her something to wear. Not wanting to invade her privacy, he fetched one of his button up sleep shirts fo her to wear and handed it to her through a crack in the door. Once she was dried and dressed, he carried her back to his room and tended her injuries. She bore it quietly, wincing on occasion. She was relatively unscathed with the exception of some scrapes, cuts, bruises here and there and the bruise on her back. Her right leg got the worst of it, with a cut knee and a severly scraped up outer side, which bled a fair bit, making it worse than appeared. It hurt to move it, but she knew she could hop her way to her room.

She started sliding off the bed, feeling a bit awkward being so near Owen in nothing more than her underwear and his shirt that fell to her thighs. "I best get to my room to sleep. It's been a long night for all of us."

He stopped her. "Please, I'd feel better if you stayed here, and off that leg."

"I couldn't. This is your room. Besides, mine isn't that far and I could easily hop over. Or you could carry me." She tried slipping off the bed again.

"I insist, Elaine."

"And where will you sleep? On the couch? No offense we need a bigger couch because that one will just really hurt your back." She pouted at him as she tried again to climb off the bed without moving her bad leg, only to be thwarted once again by Owen. "Owen, let me up. I need to sleep."

"We could always share... that is, if you do not mind?"

She looked at him in surprise, a blush blooming on her cheeks before she looked away. "What's gotten into you? Did Fox hit your head or something?"

He blushed as he bit his lip.

She sat there twisting her fingers in her lap, her heart beating like a drum. She wondered if he could hear it or see how fast her pulse was fluttering. "I really should leave."

"Elaine... I have something that I need to confess."

Elaine looked at him from under her lashes, her green eyes staring into his blue ones. "Yes... Owen?" She wasn't sure if she should stay or flee. Her head was saying to leave, but her heart was telling her to stay.

"I'm not sure how to put this in words... Please, forgive me if I am being too bold." With that, he kissed her softly.

Her eyes went wide as she let out a muffled squeal of surprise. She wasn't sure what to do or how to respond. She was too busy trying to process what was happening.

He held her gently as he tried his best to convey how he felt.

She couldn't deny that it was better than that first kiss they had. She melted into his embrace as she kissed back.

He slowly pushed her into the pillows as he covered her with his body.

She didn't protest as she dug her fingers into his hair, scratching at his scalp.

This spurred him on as he growled huskily.

She blushed, but accepted his passion as she met it with her own. Her hands moved down to his shoulders and dug her fingers into him through his jacket and shirt. She broke for air and gently pulled his glasses off his face. "Your glasses are gonna get smudged and fogged up."

He grinned and nuzzled into her neck.

She laughed and wiggled under him as she managed to get his glasses onto his bedside table. She ran her fingers through his hair, the other hand rubbing his back.

He practically purred as he held her close, kissing her jawline.

She giggled, enjoying the attention. But she knew they needed to talk before things got too carried away. "Owen?"

He paused as he looked at her.

"We need to talk. I don't want to continue if this is just going to be a one night fling. I need to know what's going on in your head. At least try and tell me and don't worry about fancy words. Just speak from the heart."

"These feelings are new for me. I don't know if I will even be using the right words for this, but... I love you, Elaine."

She gasped softly, her eyes going wide as they welled with tears. "You do?"

He nodded, "That's why I didn't want you to go out. I couldn't bear the thought of Fox hurting you, and look what happened..."

"That was my own fault. I should have listened to you. I guess I was just so tired of going around like I was walking on glass with you. I just wanted to go out and have fun. The Gargoyles, Elisa and Fox... They're my only friends that I have here." She sighed. "Falling in love was the last thing on my mind. Then I met you... and... I don't know what happened but I started falling for you."

"And I, you. I just feel so stupid that it took me so long to figure out what it was that I was feeling."

She smiled, tracing her fingers along his jaw. "We're together now... aren't we?" She looked up at him uncertainly.

"I hope so."

"What am I to you now? What does this mean for us?"

"I hope that this means that we can be together, not for a one night stand, but more."

She smiled. "I'd like that, but what about Boss? I'm pretty sure this is forbidden."

"It's never happened before, and he can't really talk, now can he?"

She laughed and kissed his nose. "True. You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

He nodded.

She laughed. "Well if we're sharing a bed, you need to change." She pushed him up a little bit but noticed his gaze wasn't on her face. She followed his line of sight down to her chest where the shirt had opened a bit, showing a glimpse of blue and white lace. She blushed furiously and closed it with her hand. "Do you mind?"

He pulled away, his mind obviously still on what he had just seen as he went to change.

She huffed, hugging a pillow to her chest as she sat up. She couldn't help but sneak peeks at Owen as he shed his suit jacket and tie. She blushed when he caught her and she looked away quickly. She didn't look at him when she felt him climb onto the bed beside her. Her blush deepened when she realized while he was wearing pajama pants, he wasn't wearing a shirt. A quick glance told her that she was more than likely wearing said shirt but she couldn't resist asking. "Where's your shirt?"

"I don't wear them while I sleep."

If anything her blush deepened even more. "Oh." She hadn't even considered this happening.

He nodded as he wrapped his arms around her and snuggled into her.

"Sleep is the furthest thing from your mind, isn't it?" She asked as she looked at him.

"Well, yes," he confessed.

"May I ask what's on your mind then?"

He started kissing her neck and shoulders.

She giggled softly and squirmed a bit. "Is that supposed to be my answer?"

It was then that it hit him, the stress, adrenaline drop, everything. He yawned as he tightened his grip around her slightly. "I'm sorry, I guess that I am more tired than I thought."

She chuckled and kissed his cheek. "Then we best get you to bed. And myself too." She yawned as well.

"We're in bed."

"You know what I mean. I mean under the covers to sleep."

He nodded as he moved to get them under the covers. It wasn't much longer when they were both tucked in and snuggling together.

She sighed happily, nuzzling her face into his chest. "You're warm."

"Goodnight Elaine." Owen kissed her head before settling once more.

She smiled. "Goodnight Owen." She couldn't stop smiling even though she was tired. It was like a dream come true. She had a job she loved and someone she loved. Life seemed perfect.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Vows

Elaine looked up from her book when Owen walked into their wing. She smiled as she got up and greeted him with a kiss. "Mm. Missed you. How was the business trip?"

Owen wrapped his arms around her as he kissed her. "It was fine. The merger went through. And I have missed you as well. Have you been staying out of trouble while I was gone?"

She chuckled. "You know me. I like a nice quiet life. Trouble finds me."

"That is why I worry. It's been a long trip. I wish to relax before the wedding planning gets into full swing." He replied as he led her to their bigger couch and sat her down. "Wait here."

She nodded and watched him go off for what she was sure was a much needed shower. While he was gone, her mind drifted. Fox was going to be married soon and Elaine had been helping her plan. She knew boss had invited Goliath to stand with as the best man. Elaine was going to stand with Fox as her maid of honor while Demona had been invited as a bridesmaid.

Elaine was drawn out of her thoughts when Owen walked in dressed in his pajama pants and without a shirt as usual. He sat next to her and pulled her over to him as he lay back, so she was lying on his chest. He rested his head on the arm of the couch, his eyes closing with a barely audible sigh.

Elaine smiled softly from her spot and shifted a bit so she could start rubbing his temples. Her smile grew when Owen let out a content moan, his fingers starting to knead into the flesh of the small of her back. She had something to tell him and she figured now was a good time as any. "Owen?"

He grunted softly so she took that as a sign he was listening. "I'm going home for Christmas and my folks want you to come as well."

If he wasn't fully listening before, he was now. His eyes cracked up to look at her, ice blue meeting pale green. "What?"

"I told my parents we were dating and it was serious. So they want to meet you. You'd be the first guy I brought home since Blake and they want to be sure you're good enough for me. Well that's namely my father, my brothers and my grandfather. My mother and my grandmother would probably approve right away and then try to feed you."

Owen let out a faint smirk.

She smiled back, chuckling. "They do that to everyone. Why do you think they send so much meat all the time? It's because they don't think I'm eating enough and they don't want me to starve."

"As if I'd let you." He murmured.

"I know and I've told them that, yet they won't believe me. I've already talked to the boss and he thinks its a good idea that you finally take a vacation. He's given us the week before Christmas to the second of January off. He wants us back on the third."

Owen felt his eyes go wide in surprise. "That was certainly generous."

"A little too generous. I'm suspicious that he and Fox are planning something."

"We'll worry about that when the time comes. I'll be honored to go with you. I am quite curious to see where you grew up."

Elaine smiled happily as she nuzzled under his chin. "Thank you. And just as a warning, don't be alarmed if you see the men in my family polishing the rifles. They're going to do that to try and intimidate you."

"They won't. I won't leave you." He promised.

She smiled and lay therecontent. She was so happy to have found him.

* * *

The weeks flew by quickly and Fox left to go get Boss' father, Petros Xanatos. He didn't seem all that impressed with the castle and even more that Fox and David were breaking tradition about the groom not being able to see the bride before the wedding. He didn't look like he was too impressed with anything Boss did.

Fox and Elaine got ready in her room. Fox looked stunning in her non traditional wedding dress, if you could call it that. Fox had Elaine dress in a red halter style dress that brushed the floor. Once our hair and makeup was done, Fox handed Elaine the groom's ring before heading to where the wedding was going to be held.

Elaine felt a little bad Fox's father wasn't going to attend. He flat out refused to come when he learned she was going to marry Boss. If Fox was bothered by it, she certainly didn't show it.

She followed after Fox and got there just before Demona did. The poor minister looked rather shocked at the sight of both Goliath and Demona, Xanatos Sr. looked the same as well, though Elaine knew both had been filled in.

Goliath looked shocked to see Demona and she curtly told him she was only there to keep her alliance with Boss. Sheesh. Rude much?

Elaine didn't pay much attention to her after that as vows were exchanged and she handed Fox the ring. Elaine was greaty surprised when both Fox and the Boss began walking out. Xanatos Sr was not happy, saying they were ruining tradition. She followed after with Owen and the minister following behind, just in time to see Demona activate the Phoenix Gate and both the bride and groom and father of the groom jump into the time field.

"Looks like the honeymoon has started early." Owen remarked from Elaine's side as the small group disappeared with a flash.

The minister was excused after promising to keep what he had seen a secret.

Elaine rolled her eyes at Owen and started walking away, pulling the pins out of her hair. "I've got to get out of this dress." She mumbled. Fox had made her wear heels and her feet were already screaming at her.

She let out a yelp when Owen scooped up into his arms, a rather wolfish grin on his face. "Then let me help you." His normally icy blue eyes were dark with desire that made her stomach curl in anticipation and her body to grow warm. This certainly wasn't like Owen but she wasn't going to complain. Though she did wonder what had gotten into him

She nodded meekly and Owen carried her off to his room. He set her down and she fidgeted under his gaze. He sat her down on the bed and gently began pulling the rest of the pins from her hair. She shivered when his breath blew across the back of her neck and she couldn't bite back a whimper when he started nibbling on her neck and shoulders.

"Let me love you the way you deserve to be loved..." He whispered as he started to untie the back of her dress.

She debated a moment on whether or not she wanted this and if she was ready to give herself to him so fully. Owen had been nothing but kind to her and she loved him dearly, trusted him. She decided not to listen to her head for once and gave into her own desires. "Yes."

That was all the answer Owen needed before he kissed her senseless, treating her with the utmost care and devotion. All of Elaine's thoughts flew out the window as the room was filled with soft gasps, moans and tender whispers of love. She gave him everything she had to offer and he took it, offering just as much back to her.

When her body finally soared with ecstatic bliss, she thought she had died and gone to heaven. She felt her heart would burst from how much she felt from the man at her side as she drifted off into a content sleep.

Owen gently drew the sheets up over them and drew Elaine into his arms. He ran his fingers tenderly through her tangled hair as she slept. She looked peaceful and almost ethereal as her skin was flushed and glowing from the aftermath. Never had he felt so whole and complete before. He kissed her forehead before tucking her against his chest, his body curling around her's protectively. She had given him a precious gift and he was honored that he had been chosen to receive it. He vowed right then and there that he would never hurt her like she had been hurt before. He would rather die than hurt her. He drifted off to sleep himself, a content smile playing on his lips.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Christmas Time

Elaine hopped from foot to foot as she waited for her clan to wake up. It was snowing and already the city was covered in beautiful snow. It looked like a Christmas card in a way. She smiled as the cracks began to form along the clan's stone bodies before they burst into life.

"Brr! It's freezing!" Brooklyn said as he wrapped his arms and wings around himself.

"Well, just don't stand there! Come inside! I've made breakfast and hot chocolate!" Elaine said.

The Gargoyles greeted her before scurrying inside to the promised treats.

She came to see them for a specific reason and she hoped Goliath would go for it. She wanted to invite them to her home to spend Christmas with her family. The clan was family so it made sense they should celebrate with family as well. Although, that meant she'd have to tell her family about the Gargoyles and she would only do so if Goliath gave her permission.

"Goliath? May I speak to you in private?" Elaine asked, feeling nervous.

Goliath nodded and led her into the library next to the station.

"As you know, the holidays are coming and they are a time to be with loved ones. I'm going home to see my family, but since you and the clan are family as well, I don't want to leave you guys here alone. I was wondering if you'd like to come home with me and meet my family. They'd be fine with it but I'd have to tell them you are Gargoyles and I wanted to seek your permission to do so." She bit her lip as she waited for his answer.

His claw tapped his chin as he pondered over her request. It wasn't an outrageous one, but his clan's safety meant the world to him. However, he knew that Elaine's family would be trustworthy if he were to judge by Elaine alone. "You have our permission to do so."

She let out a squeal and threw her arms around the large Gargoyles waist in a hug. "Thank you! Wait, how are you guys going to get there? Won't it be too cold for you guys to fly there?"

"We can actually handle the cold quite well," he replied with a carefree grin.

"Lucky you. I hate the cold. It's pretty to look at but not so much to be in. Especially when you have 3 older brothers who like tossing you into the snow and stuffing it down your back." Elaine made a face as she shivered. "I'll bring you guys a map and everything you'll need. I also have another surprise for you and the others. They put up the Christmas tree tonight at the ice skating rink and I thought that since we are a clan, we could all go see it together."

Goliath nodded, curious to see the tree that even Elisa had been talking about.

Elaine smiled before it slipped from her face. She never told Goliath about her relationship with Owen and she wanted to tell him now to avoid some sort of drama at her home. "Um, Goliath? I have something to confess. Owen and I have been seeing each other for the last couple of months in a romantic sense and recently we've been..." She chewed on her lip as she searched for a word that Goliath would understand. "I guess you can say we've been mating." She braced herself for his reaction, knowing it wouldn't be good, considering who Owen worked for. She prayed she didn't just doom her lover, especially with how badly Goliath had taken the news of Preston dumping her previously.

"I suspected," he admitted, "we could smell him on you and your scent has changed from what it used to be when we had first met."

She flushed dark red. "Oh goody. The entire clan could smell I was no longer a virgin. Great. Why didn't you say anything? You know what never mind. Let's just go tell the others." She quickly scurried out of the room and back to the clock tower.

Her ideas were met with much enthusiasm and Brooklyn carried her out the window and into the cold air of the city. They landed on a nearby building and took in the sight of the giant Rockefeller tree.

However, the moment was spoiled when Elaine's work phone started to ring. She huffed before pulling it out and answered it. "Hello? Owen? What? Tonight? Boss never said anything about a Christmas party. Well, in my defense he told me to stay out of that area of the castle and I took it as he was doing something in here I didn't want to know about, so I didn't ask! I don't even have a dress! Of course Fox thought of something. I'm at the Rockefeller Ice Rink to look at the tree. No, no. I'll get my own ride back. You just stay put in case the boss needs you. I'll be there as soon as I can. I'm going to assume Boss is in the room and that's why you aren't bidding me a goodbye with a tender endearment. I love you. Bye." She hung up her phone and sighed. "Sorry guys, looks I have to cut things short. Apparently my boss is throwing a huge party tonight and I have to go. You guys enjoy the tree, I'll catch a cab back."

Brooklyn stepped forward. "The streets are packed, you'll be stuck in traffic for hours. I'll take you home." He held out his arms for her, his tone making it clear he wouldn't take no for an answer.

She smiled and shook her head before allowing Brooklyn to pick her up and glide off with her. Due to the wind that seemed to constantly blow, they made it back to the castle in record time. Brooklyn let her down on her balcony and pressed a kiss to her cheek before he took off again. She waited till he was out of sight before going through her balcony doors. She turned to shut them and nearly jumped out of her skin when Owen spoke from behind her.

"You got back rather fast."

She turned to him, a hand pressed over her heart and a glare on her face. "Jeepers Owen! Must you do that? I hate it when you creep up on me and then scare the bejeepers out of me! Do you just get some sort of pleasure scaring me to death?" She huffed at him. "One of these days you're gonna scare me and I'll keel over and die from fright."

"My apologies."

She kept her glare up even when he pulled her into his arms. "Oh no you don't. I'm still angry with you." She tried to resist when he kissed her but as always, she gave in far too easily. "Still mad at you. Oh and by the way, apparently the entire clan knows we've been mating as they can smell you on me and the fact I smell different. That's just really freaky that they can smell I'm no longer a virgin."

"Well, their noses are more sensitive than ours..." he suggested with a slight blush.

She blushed as well. "That was nine levels of awkward when Goliath told me. In a sense they really are my family as my human family can make things go really awkward, really fast. No doubt my mother and grandmother will want details." She sighed before laying her head on his chest. "I'm starting to have second thoughts about you meeting my family, especially with the threat of one of my brothers, my father and grandfather shooting you now that you've taken my virginity." She peered up at him.

"They're your family," he replied, "it's a big deal."

"I'm the only daughter, sister and granddaughter in the family. Hence the protectiveness. I just pity Laney when she gets older. I wasn't able to go anywhere without one of my brothers watching over me. I guess I'm just not looking forward to it as I usually do because one of my brothers is in the Army and he wasn't able to leave. There's Marcus Jr., he's the oldest, Shane, then Fergus. Marcus is the one with the baby and Shane is in the Army. But all three of them are very protective. I'd rather not have to bring you home all beat up. I just don't want them to scare you off. You're on the best things that's ever happened to me." She sighed before smiling. "Never mind me. I'm just being a nervous pansy. But why do we have to go to the Christmas party? Isn't this one that Boss throws every year for his business partners and potential partners? I thought the staff already had one."

"He prefers to have one for his business associates."

She sighed. "And he wants us there why? Let me guess, he wants us there as a way to show off in a sense." She rolled her eyes. "Go figure. Well I better get ready. Where's the dress Fox sent?"

She saw it on the bed and began shedding her extra layers she had put on to shield herself from the cold. She noticed Owen had not left the room and raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you planning to watch me strip or something?" She rolled her eyes when he made no move to leave and she started pushing him out the door. "As much as I want to stay up here and canoodle with you, we have to go." She shoved him out the door and got ready.

The dress was a gorgeous red that complimented her skin and highlighed her curves. It was a rather simple design but Elaine liked it. The fabric clung to her and the skirt stopped at her lower thighs. The collar was off the shoulder that dipped into a V, giving a small glimps of her cleavage, the sleeves reaching down to her wrists. She brushed out her hair and tied it back with a red ribbon. She placed in gold stud earrings that Owen had gotten her and deemed herself ready.

She made her way out of the wing and headed over to one of the banquet halls. She looked around in appreciation as it hadn't been altered in any way but cleaned up and decorated tastefully for the party. It was already in full swing by the time she got there, so she started searching the crowds for a familiar face. She saw Fox and started making her way over, not even realizing she had walked right past Preston. She smiled when she reached her friend and greeted her with a hug. "Thanks for the dress. It's lovely. Have you seen Owen?"

"No, just Preston."

Elaine cringed. "Oh joy. I best make myself scarce then. I have no desire to see him." She bid her friend goodbye and went off in search of her lover. She searched the crowds, trying to ignore the appreciative looks some of the businessmen were giving her, some much older than her. She was starting to grow aggravated as she continued to search for Owen.

Unfortunately, she only managed to run into Preston.

She scowled and quickly turned on her heel to leave. She did not want to talk to him or see him. She stiffened when she felt him grasp her arm. She turned back to him and growled softly under her breath, a habit she picked up from her clan.

"Elaine... please," he said hesitantly, "I-I just wanted to apologize for accusing you of spying on me... I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like I did..."

"No, you you shouldn't have." She glared at him, her tone icy. "You sure waited a long time to say sorry." She tried pulling her arm free but his grasp was firm as he led her over to a more secluded area. "What do you want, Vogel? I'm sure you're not here for the festivities only."

"I wanted to make it up to you," he replied, "I wanted to make things right. I was hoping... I-I was hoping that we... we could..."

"Not interested. If you're implying we could start over again and be what we once were, I'm afraid you're a few months too late for that. I'm already seeing someone else. And I'm in a very happy relationship with him."

"Oh... all right..."

Her expression softened slightly as she took in his expression. She bit her lip feeling a bit guilty. "Well... We may not be able to have what we had before but I am willing to give you another chance. You're going to have to work to earn my trust back. What you said that night really hurt."

"Friends?"

"I'm willing if you are. I don't like how things ended on our part." She sighed.

"Neither do I, but I will be happy to be your friend."

"If I may be honest, there are times that I wonder what could have been if that blasted bug hadn't been found. I guess it's regret that it happened that way. I was happy, happier than I had been in a long time. You made me feel secure about dating again after the fiasco with my first boyfriend. I'll be forever grateful to you for that." She smiled at him softly, the truth easy to see on her face.

He smiled back softly.

"Since my boyfriend has disappeared on me, will you dance with me?"

"I'd be happy to."

She smiled and they both headed out to the dancefloor just as a slow song came on. She and Preston swayed to the rhythm of the song, not caring others could see. Elaine was happy that she and Preston were no longer fighting, though she still felt guilty. She looked up when she saw Owen heading their way just as the song ended and he did not look all too thrilled. She was grateful when Preston released her and she turned to Owen. "There you are. I was looking for you."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes when Owen wrapped a possessive arm around her waist and leveled a glare at Preston. "Down Owen. We were just patching things up." She smiled at Preston. "It was good seeing you again. We should get together for coffee when I'm back from the holidays." She waved goodbye before dragging Owen into a corner. She swatted his arm off her as she glared. "What was that back there?"

"I don't like him being near you, especially after what happened."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "We talked it over and it's fine. Owen are you jealous?" She looked up at him, finding the idea absurd. She couldn't help a smile from curling up on her face as she considered the idea of Owen being jealous. She tried stifling her giggles at the look that appeared on her boyfriend's face. "You were totally jealous!" She gave in and started laughing.

Totally out of character for him, he crossed his arms and looked away as he mumbled, "I'm not jealous..."

She giggled and said slyly. "Sure. But remember, he's not the one making me scream his name every night as my world soars." She smirked when she saw she had his attention. "I was going to suggest one last tryst before tomorrow since I doubt we'll get privacy when we go to my folks, but if you're gonna sulk, I'll go sleep in my old room."

He gawked as he glanced back at Preston and Elaine. "You... what?"

She cackled softly. "As I recall, I was sleeping with you and not him. You're the one I love but if you feel jealous over nothing, I will sleep in my old room." She gave him a teasing glance as she turned her back on him, giving him a good view. "Perhaps I will since you haven't complimented me on my dress since you're too busy being jealous over nothing."

"I never got a chance to compliment you," he defended, wrapping an arm around her.

"I had to deal with men older than me running their eyes over me because you decided to play disappearing act." She pouted at him playfully.

"I apologize, I was trying to get to you as fast as I could."

"Still waiting on that compliment." She teased.

"You look amazing," he replied, kissing her repeatedly, "absolutely amazing."

She smiled. "You better believe it. You look good yourself. How long do we have to stay? Cause there's a very comfortable bed calling my name as well as a comfy spot in front of the fire." She hinted, her eyes sparkling with mischief and desire. "Because we won't have any privacy for awhile."

Owen stared at her before grabbing her hand and dragged her out of the room. She squealed when he picked her up outside in the hall and threw her over his shoulder. He then carried her up to their room where they spent all night in each others arms. He was a bit more possessive and she linked it to him being jealous of Preston but she didn't care.

"I can't believe we're finally here!" Elaine squealed happily as she drove down the country road that led to her home. They had caught an early flight on the company's private jet, courtesy of Boss and there was a car waiting for them. It had begun to snow on their way, so the trip was taking much longer than usual.

Owen smiled at Elaine's excitement, finding it quite adorable. He had insisted he drive but Elaine was stubborn, stating that she knew the roads best. So, he sat in the passenger seat while she drove.

The sun was beginning to set behind the clouds, but the growing dark didn't bother Elaine. She knew they were getting close. By the time they got there, the sun had already set and the skies were dark.

Owen looked at the house with interest. As far as he could see, the house was set on spacious land with a large barn off to the back and the woods behind it. The house was a considerably large plantation style house one would see out of the old Southern films. He didn't know why, but it suited Elaine perfectly. The windows were all aglow with light and the light spilled out onto the windows, creating a rather cozy effect despite the chill.

Elaine hopped eagerly out of the car and waited impatiently for him to get out as well. Once he was, she quickly bounded up the steps and opened the front door, Owen close behind.

"Hello! Mama? Papa? Annoying older brothers! I'm here!" Elaine called as she started to unwrap the scarf from her neck.

There was a clattering sound in the distance and hurried footsteps soon reached their ears. A woman stood in the doorway for a moment before she let out a happy yell and raced towards Elaine who met her halfway with her own joyful yell. The woman swept Elaine into an embrace and started kissing all over her face.

From what Owen could see, the woman looked much like Elaine only older with laugh lines around her eyes and mouth, and blue eyes instead of green. It was quite easy to see the strong bond mother and daughter shared and where Elaine got most of her personality.

Molly was estatic to see her daughter again. She hadn't been keen on her baby being so far away but here she was again, back in the fold where she belonged. "Oh my baby! I'm so happy you're here!" She cupped Elaine's face and studied it. "You look well, though a bit skinny. Have you been eating enough?"

Elaine huffed playfully at her mother. "Yes Mama! I have. You know how much meat Dad and the brothers send me. Besides, Owen wouldn't let me starve."

At the mention of Elaine's boyfriend, Molly looked up and scrutinised the man standing before her. He looked quite imppecable in his clearly expensive suit and coat, hair neatly combed and glasses. He seemed quite stern and didn't look like he smiled much. She could tell he was much older than Elaine but she could see the tender look in his gaze when he looked at her daughter. He could see by that look alone how much he cared for Elaine. His look spoke volumes and it satisfied her. If anyone could get him to smile, she knew it would be Elaine. She smiled and walked around her daughter to greet him.

He nodded formarlly to her and held out his hand. "Mrs. Winters, it's a pleasure to meet you. Elaine's told me much about you."

Elaine and Molly bothe stifled giggles, Elaine rolling her eyes at Owen behind her mother's back. She stifled another laugh when her mother pulled Owen down to her level and he recieved a peck on the cheek and a hug. "Oh enough of that! Call me Molly! Relax and come settle in. I'm sure the two of you had a long flight. I have food ready in the kitchen once you two are unpacked. Ellie-bear will show you the way."

Elaine went bright red at the mention of her childhood nickname as her mother disappeared further into the house.

Owen smiled at Elaine. "Ellie-bear?"

"Shut up!" She hissed, pouting at him.

He chuckled quietly and pulled her into his arms. "I think it's adorable."

"Course you would, you're not the one who is being called it. Now let's get our bags and I'll show you where we're staying."

Owen complied, a smirk still playing on his lips. He helped her grab the bags and followed her up the staircase. They passed several doors before reaching a door that quite clearly led into Elaine's old bedroom as it had her name on it in blue letters. She pushed the door open and went inside, Owen close behind.

He could tell Elaine had spent much time in here due to the fact the walls next to her desk were plastered in articles and pictures of various cryptids as well as several mythological figures. There was a telescope next to the window doors that led out onto her balcony. A comfy looking four poster stood in the middle of the room. A large bookcase took up another wall and different playbills from various plays took up another wall. A large pile of stuffed animals rested in a corner with shelves holding various figurines above that. The walls were painted a soft blue that tied the whole room together.

Elaine let out a happy sigh as she dumped her bags in front of the bed before hopping up on it, curling into a ball. "I've missed this room!" She pouted when she heard Owen chuckle. "Stop laughing. You won't be when you meet the men in my family."

"I think that I'll do just fine," he countered quite casually, looking at her stuffed animals and figurines amusedly.

She threw a pillow at him when she saw what he was looking at. "Stop laughing! My childhood is nothing to laugh at! I'll be thankful to get through this without someone breaking out the stories, pictures or videos." She grimaced as she planted her face back in the bed.

He sat next to her. "I look forward to them."

She whined. "No! Most of my early childhood was spent running around buck naked and playing in the mud. I do not want you seeing that." She grumbled unhappily.

"Why not?"

"Its embarrassing!"

"I wouldn't know."

"Lucky. Wait why not?" She sat up to look at him.

"I don't have any stories, pictures, or videos..."

She felt her heart clench. "Oh." She climbed into his lap and cuddled him. "Maybe one or two stories wouldn't hurt..."

He smiled softly at her. "You'll let me have one or two?"

She smiled. "If you're good." She leaned up and stole a kiss.

He chuckled as he kissed her.

Her stomach let out a growl and she huffed. "Mom has food in the kitchen so we better go down before she barges in here. There's going to be plenty of time for us tonight." She promised.

She hopped out of his lap and led him down to the spacious kitchen, where a platter of sandwiches waited. Elaine wasted no time in nabbing a few and started eating. She swallowed what was in her mouth and looked at her mother. "Where is everyone?"

"Oh they went to the store to get more things. We're having more guests come besides your Gargoyles friends. They took the dogs for one last check up for the holidays as well."

"Really, who?"

At tha moment, the doorbell rang. Elaine got up and went to answer it. She opened the door and felt herself pale in shock she took in the sight of her smirking boss and Fox standing next to him. She let out a shriek and slammed the door shut before scurrying back to the of the kitchen. "Owen! They're here!" She hid behind him as she heard the front door open.

"Who is?" He asked.

At that moment, Fox and David walked into the room.

"They is." She said from her spot behind Owen.

"Ellie-bear, be nice. I talked to your wonderful boss and when I heard he didn't have family to spend the holidays with, I invited him and his wife to spend it here."

"I knew they were up to something! And mama, please stop with the nickname and no home movies, pictures or stories!"

"I want home movies, pictures and stories!" Both Fox and David exclaimed.

"No! Mother if you love me, you will not subject me to that torture!" Elaine begged her mother.

Molly just laughed and patted her daughter on the head. "I did it your brothers, it's only fair that it's your turn."

Elaine groaned. "My life is over. Over!" She pressed her head into Owen's back. "If you love me, kill me now before I die of embarrassment." She froze when she realized she just outed them to their employer. She didn't dare look up out fear of how her boss was reacting. "Sorry Owen."

"I suppose it means that I can finally do this," Owen replied, kissing Elaine in front of them.

Elaine let out a muffled squeal of surprise before kissing him back, fingers tangling in his hair as her eyes closed and her foot popped.

She came back to earth when she heard the click of a camera and saw her mother with said camera in hand. She groaned before burying her face in Owen's chest. "Mama can't you not do that?"

"Why? It's adorable and it's the first picture I have of you two as a couple." Molly grinned.

Elaine was spared further embarrassment when she heard the front door open and the frantic noise of paws making their way to the kitchen. She braced for impact and was suddenly swarmed by three wolfhounds as they barked in excitement and jumped on her to give her kisses. She laughed happily and greeted her dogs. Once they were satisfied, they swarmed around the visitors, sniffing them to determine if they were friend or foe. They seemed wary around Owen but quickly warmed up to him as they crowded him, looking for attention.

He was surprised, but gladly welcomed the loving beasts as they in return gave him kisses as well.

Elaine watched with a smile, chuckling when the dogs suddenly turned and ran away, whining with their tails between their legs. She wasn't surprised to see her black cat, Dinah strolling into the kitchen like she owned the place. Her dogs were scared senseless of Dinah as she always made sure that they knew who really ruled the house. Dinah let out a happy meow and made a beeline for Elaine, jumping up into Elaine's arms and nuzzling under her chin with a loud purr.

Elaine nuzzled back, happy to see her beloved cat. "Hello Dinah. Been showing the boys who is boss while I was gone?"

Dinah meowed in reply as if to say 'naturally'

"Good girl." Elaine chuckled. "Owen, this my cat Dinah. As you can see, the dogs are quite terrified of her. She rules the boys and they know it. If she sits on your lap and gives wind, don't take to much offense, that's just her way of saying she doesn't like you."

Dinah hissed when David tried reaching out to pet her head.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you boss. She doesn't like strangers. She'll warm up eventually." At least she hoped Dinah did, but she didn't have high hopes if the ugly look on Dinah's face was anything to go by.

Elaine put Dinah on the counter as the rest of her family walked in. Dinah stared at Owen, as if she knew what he really was.

It disturbed Puck slightly._ *That cat is giving me the creeps!*_

_*Just stay calm, Puck.*_

Dinah leapt at Owen and made herself comfortable in his arms, rubbing under his chin like she had with Elaine.

_*See? Calm.*_

Puck didn't have time to reply as all eyes turned to Owen.

Marcus Sr. was a big man made mostly of muscle. He wasn't as large as Goliath was but had a decent height to him. His red hair was graying but his green eyes still looked quite young and fierce. Marcus Jr. was his father in looks but with brown eyes. He held a pink bundle in his arms that squirmed on occasion. Fergus also looked like his father and brother, with the blue eyes of his mother. He looked to be a few years older than Elaine and the two seemed quite close as his arm was wrapped around her shoulders in a protective hold. It was quite clear how much Elaine meant to them as they had positioned themselves as a pack would to protect their young.

Marcus Sr. spoke first. "So... you're the one my little girl is seeing eh?" His voice was a deep rumble, his tone clearly saying that Owen had better be honest or else.

"Yes sir, I am." Owen didn't even bat an eye.

"Daddy, be nice." Elaine said.

Her father stared at Owen as if sizing him up. "What is it you do for work?"

"I am Xanatos's majordomo."

Marcus Sr. raised an eyebrow as if silently asking Owen to explain.

"I act as his right hand man, and his bodyguard."

Marcus Sr. dis not look at all pleased with this. "So, there is a chance my daughter could be in danger constantly?"

"No, Mr. Xanatos and I keep her away from the danger," Owen explained, "if we feel there will be some, she is sent elsewhere away from the danger."

"The last time, I believe I sent her to a museum at the Capital to do some research for me," David interjected.

Elaine shot David a thankful look.

"What makes you believe you are even worthy of her?" Everyone looked at Owen as Elaine's father asked this question.

"I'm not," Owen replied, "but that won't stop me from trying to be."

Elaine smiled, feeling herself tear up.

"Would you do anything for her? Protect her by any means?" Fergus spoke up this time.

"I would."

Marcus Jr. looked at his sister. "You really love this guy?"

Elaine nodded. "With all my heart and soul. He means everything to me. I love him just the way he is as he completes me." She said honestly. "There's not a day that goes by that I'm not thankful he's mine and I still wonder how I got so lucky. I'm in love with him and that will never change. I hope what we have lasts for a very long time." She looked at Owen, her gaze full of love.

He gazed right back at her with a loving smile.

Both her father and brothers stared at Owen before they nodded their heads in silent agreement.

"Take care of her."

Elaine made her way to Owen as Dinah lept out of his arms. She burrowed into his embrace, her face pressed against his chest to hide her rapidly falling tears. She was happy that her family accepted him.

He held her close, happy to be there for her.

Her family drifted away to give them privacy.

Fox smiled. "I knew it. Pay up David." She said, turning to her husband and holding out her hand. David grumbled good naturedly as he handed Fox what he had bet.

Marcus Jr. walked back in and handed the small pink bundle to Elaine. "Here, catch up on bonding. I need to help get the barn set up for your friends. It's a good thing your employer brought them along. We're in for some harsh weather tonight. I'll send them in when we're done." He turned and left.

Elaine looked at David in shock. "How on earth did you get Goliath to agree to a ride with you?"

He simply grinned with a shrug, "I have my ways."

"Goliath will not be happy with you. My mother will show you to your room." Once they were gone, Elaine turned her attention to the wiggling bundle in her arms. She pulled back the blankets to reveal a young infant, who cooed when she saw Elaine. Elaine smiled as she freed the girl from her blankets. "Hi Laney-boo. Did your daddy wrap you up like a burrito again?" She got a laugh as her response. Elaine chuckled and held the baby close, obviously besotted with the tiny girl.

_*Aw. She's so adorable!*_ Puck cooed as he watched. _*She looks so natural holding a baby.*_

Elaine faced Owen so he could see the baby better. "Laney, say hi to Uncle Owen."

Laney stared at him before face broke into a smile and she squealed happily, holding out her arms to him.

He took her hesitantly with wide eyes.

Laney babbled as she grabbed his tie, examining it before stuffing a part of it in her mouth and drooled all over it.

Elaine winced with a smile. "Sorry. She does that. She's at that stage where if she finds it interesting, it goes in her mouth."

"It's alright."

Elaine kissed him. "She likes you."

He smiled at that.

Laney babbled as if agreeing she yawned, letting go of his tie before snuggled into him, little sleepy murmurs escaping her.

"I guess that we should put her to bed."

"We should. I hope you don't mind but she's in our room with us. That way there's room for everyone plus my brother is a heavy sleeper the few times she does wake up at night. She needs a nap now but she will wake up at dinner." She gently took Laney, rocking the baby and singing softly before the baby was fast asleep.

"I don't mind at all."

She smiled. "Good. I'll put her down in the living room for now. She sleeps through anything." She carried the baby to the living room where everyone including the Gargoyles were gathered. She smiled when Bronx came over and knelt down so he could see and smell Laney.

Bronx sniffed the baby before giving a happy bark and licked her cheek. Laney didn't wake nor make any noise but slept on.

Elaine carried her over to the bassinet and tucked her in. At once the dogs surrounded it, laying down to offer protection to the small life that slumbered above them.

Once Elaine was satisfied that her niece was comfortable, she happily went over to the Gargoyles and greeted Goliath first. "Glad you got here ok. I'm glad you didn't have to fly in the snow."

"Eh... Xanatos provided a valid point..." he admitted.

Elaine hid her smile for the sake of Goliath's pride. "Have you met my family yet?" She questioned.

"We have not," he replied, glad for the change of subject.

She smiled and motioned her clan over to her family. "Daddy, Mama, Marcus, Fergus, these are my friends the Gargoyles, my clan. This is Goliath, Hudson, Brooklyn, Broadway, and Lexington. Bronx is over there watching the baby. Clan, this is my father Marcus Sr., my mother Molly, my brothers Marcus Jr. and Fergus. My middle brother Shane isn't here. He is in the Army, which is similar to what Elisa does only on a countrywide scale. The baby is my niece Laney." She explained.

Her father was the first to step forward and hold out his hand to Goliath. "It is a great pleasure to meet you. Our little Ellie has told us many things. I am more at ease with her being in New York knowing she has a family to look out for her. It's truly an honor to meet those from the home of our ancestors."

"The honor is ours, truly it is," Goliath answered.

Molly stepped forward next. "Welcome to our home Goliath. You and your clan are always welcome here. We consider you part of the family now." She said with a gentle smile.

Marcus Jr and Fergus approached the the trio of young Gargoyles. "Thanks for watching out for our baby sister. She's the only one we got so we're glad she has more brothers to look out for her. You wouldn't believe the trouble she'd get into as a kid." Fergus joked.

"Hey! Don't even. You helped me get into it, Fergus! You were the one who thought it was a good idea to jump from the loft down into the hay below." Elaine playfully elbowed her brother.

"Be as it may, he wasn't the one who went streaking around the place naked as the day he was born." Marcus Jr teased.

Elaine went red. "I was a kid! I thought we agreed never to speak about that!"

Her brothers simply laughed at her before squashing her between them in a hug.

Elaine grumbled but it was clear that she didn't care too much as she was smiling. "I love you goofballs."

"And we love you little sister." Her brothers replied.

"Are you going to let go anytime soon?"

"Nope!"

"Didn't think so. I wish Shane was here."

"We know little sister. We miss him, too." Her brothers gave her one last hug before inviting the younger Gargoyles to play video games with them.

Elaine smiled when she saw her grandparents in deep conversation with Hudson and she made her way to Owen where he sat alone in an arm chair. She plopped herself in his lap and smiled. "Howdy stranger. What are you doing over here all alone?"

"It's the only place I can find without prying questions and glaring eyes," he answered in bored monotone.

She kissed his nose in apology. "Sorry love. Like I said, being the baby sibling and the only girl has its perks and disadvantages. Surprised you haven't commented on the streaking incident my brothers mentioned." She kissed his nose again. "Be glad they don't have the same sense of smell like the clan." She whispered.

"So Owen, just what are your intentions with my daughter?" Elaine's father asked rather loudly from across the room as all eyes turned to where Elaine and Owen sat.

Elaine rolled her eyes and looked down in embarrassment. "Seriously?"

"I think your mother and I have every right to know what his intentions are with you, especially with what happened with that _boy_..." her father practically hissed the last word out as his eyes narrowed in anger at the thought of Blake.

"Sir, I am aware of what happened to Elaine," he stated, "I won't let her end up in a situation like that."

"Do you plan to make an honest woman out of her then?"

Elaine blushed. "Daddy!" She hissed at him in mortification. "We haven't discussed that sort of thing yet!" She didn't dare look at Owen.

"Sir, I do believe that that is not a conversation that should have... such a large audience," Owen replied, "with all due respect. If you wish to speak with me about it later in private, I would be happy to have it."

Elaine could see her father was impressed and she got up when her father gestured for Owen to follow him into the kitchen to talk. Elaine gave Owen a reassuring smile and a gentle push towards the kitchen.

She was soon distracted by her niece announcing that she was awake and demanded attention. She picked up the crying baby and quickly quieted her down. She brought Laney over the Gargoyles and proudly showed her off. "This is my niece Laney. Say hi Laney!"

Laney didn't look all to sure about the strange faces in front of her but she quickly smiled and babbled at them. Brooklyn was the first to hold her and she patted at his beak in wonder before her hands wandered up to his horns.

"Aw. She really likes you! But I should warn you she pulls hair." Elaine said, wincing as Laney did just that to Brooklyn, cackling madly as she pulled.

Brooklyn laughed in return.

Laney was passed around, totally enjoying the attention.

Dinah, however, decided to make her dislike for David known as she hopped into his lap, stared him right in the eyes as she gave a rather loud and smelly bout of wind.

"Dinah! No! You do not do that to my boss!" Elaine quickly scooped up her cat. "I am so sorry boss! Please don't fire me because of that."

He wasn't able to react as he stared ahead with wide eyes, wincing ever so slightly.

She cringed while Fox was laughing hysterically. Dinah decided she liked Fox and hopped into her arms, purring innocently.

"Boss?" Elaine waved her hand in front of his face. "Hello?"

He whined as he collapsed.

"Ah Elaine! You killed my husband!" Fox cried.

"It wasn't me! It was the cat! I warned him it would happen! She doesn't like it when strangers try to touch her unless she gives them permission! She's a diva but she's the one who did it!" Elaine pointed at her cat. "You were laughing!"

"I didn't think he was dead!"

"He's not dead! He's still breathing. Owen! Dinah just killed our boss!"

"Really? Well, I put up my resume," Owen replied like it was an everyday thing.

"Well, Mr. Renard said there was always a job waiting for me at Cyberbtiotics if I ever wanted. Never thought I'd actually have to take it." Elaine said, playing along as her family snickered. "Too bad Boss passed on. There was an interesting artifact being shipped in, too."

"Nah, I ain't giving... to Renard," David groaned.

"Oh look. He lives." Elaine snarked as she helped her boss back up to his seat. "Good thing because I don't fancy leaving your employment."

"They could weaponize that," he muttered, rubbing his nose on his sleeve.

"Just be glad she lives here and isn't coming back with us."

"Ellie-bear! Your father and I have an early present for you!" Her mother said happily as her father toted a rather large wrapped box into room with the help of her brothers.

Her brothers were grinning which set her on edge. "Nothing is gonna spring out at me is it?"

"Just open it!" Fergus elbowed her.

Elaine sighed before she started tearing at the paper to reveal a washing machine box. "Great. A washing machine." She leapt back in surprise and landed on her rear when the box started to move before a person popped out of the top. Elaine stared at the new surprise silently before she jumped up, letting out a screech of joy as she pounced on the person in the box.

He caught her, laughing as her arms and legs wrapped around him tightly, her face pressed into his shoulder as she sobbed.

"Did you really miss me that much baby sister?" The man teased as he made his way out of the box, still holding onto Elaine.

Everyone could see he was dressed in Army clothes, telling them that this was Elaine's middle brother, Shane.

"Course I did you big dummy!" She continued to sob as he still held on while he bent so her feet were on the floor. She pulled back to look at him. "I thought you weren't coming home for Christmas."

"I've been released from service and I wanted to surprise my favorite sister." Shane said as he wiped her eyes. His eyes were green like hers and he had blonde hair that had been shaved. He held her close again as he rubbed her back.

Elaine finally calmed down enough to let him go and introduce him to Owen. Shane smiled and held out his hand. He was much easier going compared to his father and brothers. "So, you're the lucky fella who swept my sister off her feet. She's one fine girl so you take good care of her you hear? I can already tell yore well suited for her from all the letters she wrote to me about you."

"It's an honor to meet you," Owen replied with a smile.

Shane wrapped an arm around Elaine. "You keep a hold of him. He's good for you."

Elaine blushed and nodded. "I intend to."

The rest of the night passed pleasantly before everyone turned in for bed. Elaine carried Laney upstairs and got her tucked into bed. She looked up when Owen walked in and smiled at him before looking back down at the sleeping baby. "I think tonight went well. My family really likes you."

"I am glad to hear that," he replied, "I'd hate to think what would have happened to us if they didn't like me."

"Shoot you? Forbidden me from seeing you ever again? Well, they like you so no worries." She checked the blankets once more before leaving Laney be. She looked at Owen as she walked over to him. "What did my father talk about in the kitchen? I would have eavesdropped except the baby needed attention."

"We basically talked abut yours and my relationship."

"Oh. Did he give you that whole if you wanna keep me you have to make an honest woman out of me? Be glad he didn't find out we slept together or he'd be forcing you to marry me at gunpoint. My father is very old fashioned like that. He believes that you should only give something like that up if you intend to stay with that person." She looked away as she started braiding her hair. "Sorry if he got too pushy in anyway. Ever since Blake, he and everyone else have been super overprotective. They just want me to be safe and happy. Which I am with you."

"He wasn't too pushy," Owen replied, "may I?"

She nodded her head. "Owen? Where do you see our relationship going? We never talked about our future. I always knew what I wanted. I wanted to grow up, get a good job and education, get married to someone I love and start a family." She relaxed as he deftly braided her hair. "What do you want?"

"I never really thought about it..." he answered, "not before you at least."

She sat on the bed and waited for him to continue. "Before me? Surely there was someone before me. I mean, to me you're perfect."

"No one."

"Were you ever lonely?"

"Not really."

"What made me different enough for you to change? You know, when we first met, I wanted nothing to do with you, but I couldn't get you out of my head. I didn't understand why. I felt there was more to you than what I originally thought. When I dated Preston, I thought I'd be able to move on from you. But... you always lingered in my mind. You could have had anyone yet you chose me. I'm still trying to figure out why."

"Funny... I felt the same, minus dating Preston..."

She chuckled as he sat next to her. "That night that I kissed you, I thought you returned my feelings. I felt foolish when you pushed me away, that I read you wrong. I was just so tired of having rotten luck when it came to love. I wanted you and I realized what I felt would never have gone away. It was like something kept pulling me towards you and it scared me."

"I didn't want to take advantage of you," he replied, "I felt like if I had continued then I would have been doing just that."

She leaned into him, sighing in contentment when he wrapped an arm around waist. "I don't think I would have minded. I still wonder why you chose me though."

"Something about you called out to me."

She looked down as she played with the crystal around her neck, thinking over his words. "Are you happy with me?"

"I am very happy with you. Are you with me?"

"More than anything. I want nothing more than to be with you forever."

He smiled, kissing her cheek.

She blushed but smiled happily at his attention. "I love you. You know that right?"

"I do, and I, you."

She smiled again. "We best sleep. Knowing my family, we'll have family bonding tomorrow. I still think it's weird the Boss is here." She slid off the bed and started rummaging around in her suitcase for her nightclothes. "I swear my mother is just too friendly for her own good. Surprised you haven't mentioned the whole jumping out of the hay loft or the streaking my brothers felt they needed to share." She looked up at him from her spot on the floor. "Nearly gave my dad a heart attack when he saw me fly through the air down to the hay below. I didn't get in trouble surprisingly."

"That actually didn't surprise me any," he replied.

"What part? Me jumping out of the loft like a lunatic or me running around the farm naked as a kid?" She asked with a smile.

"Both."

She chuckled. "Ok so I didn't have the best role models, but I had fun. Used to go skinny dipping every day in the pond behind our house until we got too old. Summers were the best. We'd sleep outside and chase fireflies. Heh, there are times I just wish I could go back to those days. Well, I have no doubt Laney will experience them when she's old enough. Just not the jumping from the loft." She grabbed her clothes and started undressing. "I'm surprised my dad didn't insist on you sleeping in another room while we're here."

"Um... he made me promise... 'no hanky panky'," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

She froze, her nightshirt half way on before she busted up laughing. "Seriously? Wow. Shows he trusts me more than you as he didn't make me promise." She continued to laugh as she finished getting dressed. "Poor you." She kissed his cheek.

He grunted with a grin, kissing her back.

She laughed and crawled under the covers to wait for him to join her. She didn't have to wait long and after she turned off the bedside lamp, she cuddled into his arms. "Owen?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you see a future for us?"

"I do."

"What kind of future?"

"I see a lot of futures for us, to be honest."

"Any you're willing to share?"

"One of them, I'm worried that I will do something to betray your trust, and you never wish to see me again."

She looked at him, though she couldn't see him very well and touched his face. "Owen... no matter what, I will love you forever. So stop worrying. Please tell me you see a happier future." She stifled a yawn.

"I do."

"Tell me about that one then."

"I see us together... and there's a bassinet..."

She hummed happily as she pressed her face against his chest. "I like that one. Is it pink or blue?"

"It's white."

She smiled. "A surprise then. I hope there's pink blankets inside but I wouldn't mind blue."

"I never get to look... Xanatos always bothers me before I can."

"Boo on him then. Well, that's a future I'm looking forward to making in time. Especially with you. I don't know why you're worried about me leaving. I doubt there's anything you can tell me now that will betray my trust in you."

He didn't reply as he held her close.

She smiled and fell asleep, unaware of the thoughts and secrets whirling though the mind of the man she thought she knew as Owen Burnett.

Puck was silent as he thought about what she said. He knew the day would come when he would be called back to Avalon and he'd never see her again. Because if he left then Owen would leave too. Despite the fact she loved Owen, Puck wouldn't allow her to feel that pain. When the time came, he'd do anything to stay with Elaine, even if it meant going against Oberon himself. He would stay no matter the price.


End file.
